Long Live the King
by Disciple of Ember
Summary: Deceived. Distraught. Disillusioned. Four souls have entered a world unlike any other. In order to survive they must rely on each other in a land that is out to take what little they have left. With danger closing in on all sides they only have one chance. Either find Maxwell, or die trying. Ready or not, here it comes.
1. Setting the stage

**There isn't enough Don't Starve fanfictions, so I feel I must do my part to fix that. A word of warning. This story will contain spoilers in the later chapters. If you have not finished adventure mode, then _go play it right now! All other things are secondary! Why are you wasting time re-*cough* _Ahem. What I meant to say is, that you might want to hold off on this story if you don't want to be spoiled. **

**As ever, comments and criticisms are appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Don't Starve or any of the characters**

* * *

_Observed from above, the world she lived in looked quite peaceful. It was a place of rolling hills and sunny meadows. Massive forests and impressive quarries. It all looked like something out of a map designed to draw on feelings of wonder and awe. There was just one problem._

_This land was not on any map._

_Beneath the rugged beauty, past the images of well-being, lurked something far darker. She didn't remember how she had arrived there, nor did she remember how long it had been. All she knew were those last parting words of the strange man._

'_Say pal, you don't look so good.'_

_She had opened her eyes to find his blurry outline looming over her. In some ways he looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place it._

'_You better find something to eat before night comes.' _

_His words had sounded almost generous, but there was something else to them. Her dazed mind was unable to process what was going on. If she had been fully aware, she would have seen the grin that split his features as he spoke his final farewell._

'_Don't starve.'_

* * *

The sun peeked over the horizon, spreading the light of a new day onto the world once more. Every creature slowly noticed the return of the light, and reacted in their own favored ways. The rabbits tentatively ventured out of their tiny abodes to forage for plants to eat. The birds ruffled their impressive feathers before greeting the day with a chirping song.

One figure however, stood out among the forest creatures.

Feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin, Wendy slowly opened her eyes the morning light. The allure of a fresh start to the day had long ago lost all its charm to her. The nightmares of the seemingly perfect world had seen to that.

Sighing deeply, she turned her head to check on her source of heat during the night. The campfire, if it could still be called that, had degraded into a smoldering pile of embers that barely clung to life. Dispassionately, she noted just how close she had come to a gruesome death. Nothing survived long in the dark without a source of light.

The morbid thoughts had been coming more and more frequently as of late. She was no stranger to the darker side of her mind, but even her own demons didn't usually rear their heads so often. Sometimes it just seemed pointless. More than once, she had found herself wondering how easy it would be to extinguish the flame that kept her safe in the night.

Such thoughts never amounted to anything however. She might be outside the realm of happiness, but suicide held no appeal to her. She would not be felled by her own hand.

Wendy slowly uncurled herself from the makeshift bedroll. Crafted from leaves and plant fibers, it served to keep her sheltered from the wind if nothing else. She didn't mind the cold all that much, but it helped to keep her from waking up stiff and achy.

The small girl stretched her arms to the sky, releasing the tension that had built up while she slept. A pop from her shoulders signaled the rush of relief that she was searching for.

She then began gathering her supplies. All she owned in this world was several basic items such as sticks, rocks, and some berries that helped stave off the worst of her hunger. These things were all carried in a small backpack that had been shaped from materials in much the same way that her bedroll had. While it was nothing impressive, she still felt a bit of pride in her own handiwork.

Now there was just one thing left to get before she could start the day.

Stepping past the campfire, Wendy made her way over to a nearby rock. The mostly-flat stone had served to hold dearest possession while she slept. It just wouldn't be right to leave something so important lying in the dirt.

"Hello Abigail." She greeted, speaking to the item that lay in front of her.

To the average observer, the tiny object might have appeared as nothing more than a simple flower. That would change when said person took a closer look. The floral bud exuded an aura of sheer wrongness that made even the fiercest local fauna keep far away from it.

Wendy was unbothered.

"What should we do today sister?" She asked, cradling the object as though it were an infant. Predictably enough the flower didn't respond.

"You can't hear me yet can you?" The blonde girl frowned slightly. "How much longer will it be until you can find me again Abigail?"

When she got no answer, she placed the flower into her shirt pocket with a resigned sigh. There was no point in trying to coax her sister out when she couldn't reach her.

Wendy looked over her campsite one last time to ensure that she hadn't left anything important behind. All her supplies were gathered, the fire had gone out, and-

Oh wait, there was still her ax.

Reaching down, she picked up the bladed tool. It had been the first thing she had found in this world. It's former owner… well… he didn't look like he would miss it. Or anything for that matter. He certainly didn't complain when she had pried it from his skeletal fingers.

The ax had served as a lifeline in her current state. While she lacked the upper body strength to cut down large trees, she was more than capable of felling the small saplings as well as cutting off low branches. Without it, she likely wouldn't have lasted a single night.

Now that everything was in order, she was faced with the same question that every morning brought with it. Where was she to go? No one direction ever seemed to hold the answers she was looking for. No matter how far she walked, she would only be rewarded with a cliff face or some form of impassible terrain.

Wendy was trapped and she knew it.

"North looks promising, don't you think?" In truth, that direction looked exactly the same as all the others. Still, it didn't hurt to have a touch of hopefulness every now and then. "North it is then."

Flower safely tucked away and ax in hand, the young girl set off. She knew that she had little chance of escaping by simply meandering around. She knew that she would likely perish forgotten and alone in this desolate place.

Even so, there was one thing she didn't know. Her pointless wanderings would come to an end very soon. She was about to be swept up in something far larger than she had ever anticipated.

And it would all be because of a certain scientist.

* * *

On the other side of the great forest, where the trees opened up to grasslands and green hills, a nameless abomination stalked its favored prey.

The monstrosity was roughly the size of a man. Covering its body were gaudy feathers that stuck out in all manner of haphazard directions. The beast was a mockery of its avian cousins, far too large to even attempt flying. This did little to take away from its reputation.

The creature's greed was legendary. It swallowed down obscene amounts of berries, a precious commodity in this world, leaving none at all for starving travelers. Whispered rumors warned the unwary that the tyrannical thing was so selfish it would steal the very air from your lungs given half an opportunity. Those unfortunates would often describe this horror as the devil incarnate.

Others called it a fat turkey.

The gobbler made short work of the scattered berry bushes in the surrounding area. Countless red orbs vanished into its seemingly bottomless gullet. Once it had cleared a particular bush, it would dawdle around mindlessly until it eventually wandered near another. This process would repeat until there was simply nothing else to eat.

On this particular evening, the oversized bird only had one choice in its culinary options. The bushes had been carefully stripped of their bounty before it had arrived leaving only one available to the turkey.

Giving neither thought nor pause to the obvious trap, the gobbler strode right up to the berry bush and began scarfing them down at an alarming rate. It continued the feast until it was interrupted by movement from one of the nearby husks.

Faster than the eye could follow, a spear shot out of the barren bush headed directly for the bird's throat. It was only by sheer chance that the deadly projectile missed and embedded itself into the ground nearby.

The gobbler stood motionless while its tiny mind struggled to process what had just happened. Turning to the spear, it gave the wooden handle several experimental pecks before deciding that it was of no concern and returning to the berries.

From his hiding spot, Wilson bit back a scream of frustration. He had been struggling to deal with the monstrosity for days now. Traps didn't work. He had nothing to poison it with. And now his spear was lying harmlessly next to the thing it was supposed to be killing.

_Calm down._ He thought to himself. _It hasn't moved. You can still make this work._

Pulling a knife from his pocket, he made ready to try again. The bird was distracted by its meal so logically it would have little chance of noticing his presence.

It was a pity logic rarely worked in this world.

No sooner had Wilson lunged forward, intent on burying the blade hilt deep in the turkey's back, than the gobbler shot away from the spot with speed that should have been impossible given its size. The gentleman scientist tripped on his own momentum and fell face down in the dirt next to his spear.

For a time, he simply lay there stewing in humiliation. Wilson Percival Higgsbury. Outsmarted by a stupid bird. That's what they would carve into his tombstone.

Groaning, he struggled to his feet only to find that the turkey had vanished into the forest once more. There was no point in chasing after it. Even if he had been in peak physical condition, it would have been nearly impossible to keep up with the infuriating creature.

A sigh of resignation worked its way through his system as he turned to gather what was left of the berries. Only a handful were left, but compared to going hungry they were well worth the effort of picking.

An hour later found the young man in front of his fire pit, trying to distract himself from the emptiness in his stomach.

This was not the life he was suited for. Wilson was in his element when he was surrounded by the wonders of science and technology. He could craft things that others dismissed as impossible with his genius, but fighting for his life in the wilderness was something else entirely.

Right now, only one thing kept him from going mad. The need for revenge.

He turned his knife over in his palm, observing the way the flames of his fire reflected light off of its blade. It was the same knife he had used to slash his palm, granting him entrance to what he thought was his greatest desire. How did that saying go again?

_Be careful what you wish for. You might just get it._

He had made a metaphorical deal with the devil.

Maxwell…

He still didn't know what the man's angle was in all this, but he had no doubt that the sinister figure was behind it all. He had promised something that Wilson's insatiable spirit had been powerless to resist. Knowledge. The kind that would have rendered the greatest minds of his time dumbstruck in disbelief. And, like a blind rat in a maze, the scientist had loyally followed his every command, even going so far as to offer up his own blood to open the portal.

Now he was trapped. A victim in a game that held the highest stakes possible. He knew Maxwell was out there. Watching. Waiting. Mocking his feeble attempts to avoid an early end.

But he would prove the wicked man wrong. He would survive despite the odds. He would conquer this world with the power of his mind! And when he found his demonic host again…

He would punch his oh-so-perfect teeth down his throat.

Or better yet, he would invent a large machine to do the punching for him. Yes… a large _metal_ machine with lots of heavy limbs for added smugness-removing power. Maybe even throw in a couple of smokestacks on its back for added effect.

Wilson could see it now; he would ride his glorious doomsday machine right up to the darkened fortress that held his enemy. There would no doubt be resistance, but his steel steed would sweep it all aside like so much chaff. He would shatter the doors blocking his way, stride down the darkened halls, come right up to Maxwell, and…

Well, he hadn't figured out what would happen next. He was fairly sure it would involve a lot of hitting but he had yet to decide on a suitably devastating one-liner. He'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

The daydream ended when his stomach reminded him that it was still empty. Wilson grudgingly let go of his imagined triumph, turning his attention to cooking the handful of berries he had managed to gather. He didn't exactly trust them raw. Too many brightly colored plants had poisonous defenses for him to risk it.

While the snack simmered, he drew out his notepad and pencil. Other than the knife, these were the only things that had followed him into the portal.

.

_Wilson P. Higgsbury, entry Day 10_

_Food supplies are getting scarce. The carrots are gone, and only a few berry bushes remain accessible. Attempts at hunting have been fruitless. Very soon I'm going to have to leave this place. This isn't something I'm looking forward to. Strange noises have been coming from the forest. Going deeper inside to look for food could prove hazardous. At the same time, leaving to go through the grasslands could be just as dangerous. Up until now, my fire has been constructed from fallen branches I scavenged off the edge of the forest. In the open area I would be at the mercy of the night. _

_There is no right choice from what I can see. Both options have hazards, but I'll have to choose one of them eventually. Staying here will only serve to slowly starve me to death. I didn't conquer Maxwell's puzzles just to die here. I WILL find him again. I will monitor my progress further once I am under way. Until then._

_-Science shall prevail-_

_._

The last sentence was something he added onto every journal entry he made. It was a reminder that he was not some poor helpless soul. He had the mightiest of forces at his disposal, and the skill to use it. If nothing else, it served to calm his nerves when he wasn't feeling very lucid.

Nodding contentedly, Wilson stowed the notepad away. He would have plenty to write in it later. Now however, it was time to check on his dinner.

* * *

The pieces were moving.

Deep in the heart of the shrouded world, a pair of eyes looked upon the image of his home. A massive chessboard lay stretched out in front of him with four pawns positioned at specific intervals. Maxwell couldn't help but smile at the way they stumbled around. Dancing to his tune.

Already, two of the pawns were headed right towards each other. One piece was decorated with a swirling flame, while the other held the image of a dumbbell. The pawn marked with a gravestone was headed in the general direction of all the others. Her progress was slow, but it was progress none the less.

The scientist however, was a problem.

He had stubbornly remained in his starting position on the board. This was unacceptable. He was the lynchpin to the entire operation. Without him, it would all fall to ruin.

"Say pal." Maxwell uttered sarcastically, speaking more to himself than anyone else. "I do hope you like dogs. Don't worry though; these boys are just going to give you a shove in the right direction. Nothing _science_ won't protect you from right?"

With a dry chuckle and a forceful thought, he directed his will into the minds of the hounds located somewhere in the plains. In mere seconds he had shown them the location of Wilson's basecamp. They needed no further goading.

Baying madly, the vicious creatures began their headlong dash towards the unwitting target. It would take a while for them to reach him, and their chorus would alert him miles in advance, but that was the idea. Maxwell didn't want Wilson dead. At least, not yet.

Leaning back, the lord of the darkened world closed his eyes. Now all he had to do was wait.

Everything was falling into place.


	2. A meeting of minds

**Disclaimer: I don't own Don't starve or any of the characters. Try saying that three times fast. **

* * *

Wilson hadn't realized he'd dozed off until his eyes shot open. One look up at the sky told him that he'd been asleep for at least a couple of hours, something that was dangerous to do so close to night time. If he'd remained asleep without a fire to keep the darkness at bay...

Wait a minute.

What had woken him up? His mind, only half awake, struggled to come up with a good explanation. There were no rocks poking into his sides. No breeze that he could see. The only thing it could have been-

Then he heard it. Far of in the distance was the sound of barking. Not some friendly bark between dogs, nor was it the kind that they use to scare off competition, this was a hunting call.

Wilson's eyes widened as he jumped to his feet. He had been out hunting once before with a wealthy client interested in some of his inventions. The hounds that the man had used had a very distinct tone when baying, and it was disturbingly similar to the one he was hearing now.

What's more, the noise from these hounds was deeper and louder than the domesticated ones. That implied that they would be far larger. Perhaps even large enough to hunt a human.

_Don't panic!_ He thought to himself. _You're not the only thing out here. T-They're probably just out looking for rabbits or something. _

He did his best to ignore the fact that hounds that large would need a lot more than rabbits to sustain themselves.

Regardless of their target, he knew it would be dangerous to remain out in the open like this. Wilson quickly packed up what little belongings he had, stowing his knife and notepad into the folds of his vest. His only other possessions were a bundle of twigs and some tufts of grass. Both of those could be replaced easily enough, and right now time was of the essence.

The barking was getting louder now. Whatever the hounds were after was near where he was right now. Wilson risked a glance in the direction their baying was coming from.

It was a decision he immediately regretted.

The hounds were coming from somewhere deep in the grasslands. Thanks to the flat, unobscured, view of the plains, he was able to get a distant glimpse of the beasts.

To call them monstrous would have been an incredible understatement. Even from such a massive distance, it was obvious that they were enormous creatures. One of the front-runners would have been able to stand shoulder to shoulder with a good sized horse.

The scientist felt his blood turn to ice. There was no way those things were naturally occurring. He suddenly got the distinct feeling that remaining here would be a very bad idea.

That only left him with one other option. The forest.

Struggling to remain calm, he took off as quickly as he could into the densely packed trees. Branches lashed out at him while roots attempted to tangle his legs, but the sound of the hounds' crazed symphony kept him running for dear life.

It didn't take long for Wilson's stamina to start failing. He was a man of science. And, like many in his field, had neglected training his body in favor of sharpening his mind. To make matters worse, the barking was getting louder by the second. By now a couple of them sounded like they were almost on top of him.

_Come on! Think!_ He mentally shouted at himself. _You can't keep running forever. How can you escape?_ The answer suddenly smacked him in the face. Both figuratively and literally.

He had been so focused on the sounds of pursuit behind him that he'd failed to look where he was going. As was inevitable in such enclosed areas, Wilson ran face first into a massive tree.

The pain served to scatter the panicked thoughts that had been taking hold, giving him the respite he needed to see his escape route.

_The trees!_

Most dogs that he knew of where not very skilled climbers. Logic dictated that dogs being two, or even three, times the size of an average household pet would be heavily encumbered by their weight. All he had to do was climb up out of their reach, and wait until some other form of prey distracted them!

Wasting no time worrying about the state of his bark-ravaged face, Wilson immediately began climbing as quickly as he could. Which, as it turns out, wasn't very fast at all. Climbing was hard when you had hardly eaten in the past few days.

A howl of triumph behind him signaled the arrival of the fastest members of the pack. The speeding hound raced forward and got a running jump in an attempt to pick him from the tree like a low hanging apple. Luckily, the rush of adrenaline that shot through his body gave the Wilson the strength he needed. With a massive heave, he launched up to a higher branch, escaping the jaws of the hound with only a couple of inches to spare.

He didn't stop there. Fearing that the demon dogs might have a better way of reaching him, he scrambled up higher and higher until the branches became too thin to support his weight. It was only when he could go no higher that he risked a look down at the hunters.

Half a dozen vicious beasts were glaring up at him. Some clawed at the tree in a clumsy attempt to climb up, while others stalked around in circles with rage burning in their eyes. They didn't like being cheated out of an easy dinner.

A huge sigh of relief shook Wilson's frame as he realized that he was safe for the moment. As the hounds glared up at him, he glared right back.

"You think this can stop me Maxwell?" He spoke, wondering if the man could actually hear him. "You're going to have to send something a lot smarter if you want to finish me off!"

As it turns out, insulting their intelligence was not the best of moves.

Whether by the will of their master, or the whim of lady luck (who didn't like being pushed), the beasts backed off slightly. Without warning, one of them shot forward; sinking its teeth into the trunk of the tree. The dog whipped its head from side to side and soon came away with a large chunk of wood stuck in its mouth.

Wilson stared in disbelief as the others followed its example, brutally ripping pieces out of the tree that was giving him sanctuary.

"Uh, guys? Y-You know I was just kidding about the not being smart right?" He ventured, his mind racing at the sudden peril he was in. "Listen, I know of a place with a great assortment of rabbits. LOTS of rabbits! What's say I point you in that direction and we forget this whole mishap ever happened?"

Predictably enough, they ignored him entirely. The dogs were cutting down his hiding place and he couldn't see any way out of it.

The massive tree suddenly gave a lurch.

"Oh no…"

The forest behemoth started to sway as sickening cracking sounds filled the air.

"No, no, no, nononononono!"

The hounds darted out of the way as the weight of the wooden monolith sealed its fate. It was all Wilson could do to hold on and pray for a miracle.

The young man let out a terrified scream as the earth rapidly approached. The impact with the ground was so violent that he was hurled away along with shattered branches and pieces of bark. Skidding across the ground, he eventually came to a painful halt.

Wilson groaned as he struggled to rise again. The moment he regained his bearings however, it became clear that he was in deep trouble. The hounds had formed a semi-circle around him, and now they seemed to grin maliciously at his predicament.

Taking an unsteady step backwards, the ground suddenly shuddered under his feet. He ventured a look over his shoulder to find that his flight had landed him right on the edge of a miniature cliff with a good sized lake down at the bottom. And, of course, the dirt on the edge was fairly unstable.

"Oh come oooOOOOAAAAAAAHHHH!" His protests were cut off as the dirt beneath his feet crumbled away, sending him falling into the empty air with the water getting closer at an alarming rate.

His free-fall came to an end as he impacted the pristine surface of the lake, sending up a massive spray of water and plunging him into darkness.

* * *

All in all, nature was incredibly boring. Wendy had been walking in the direction she assumed was north for the better part of a day, and had yet to find anything more interesting than some oddly colored mushrooms. Stomping it into mush had only provided a small amount of amusement.

She swatted at branches and insects with her ax as she walked.

"It's so much less fun when you aren't around Abigail." She said. "There's nobody to play with."

All of the small forest creatures she had run across up to this point had been smart enough to realize that her version of 'playing' didn't usually end well for them.

Suddenly, a very high pitched scream echoed through the forest only to be silenced moments later by a loud splash.

Wendy froze. So far, she had yet to meet another living person in this world. She had assumed that she was the only one. Could there be another unfortunate soul trapped here as well? Not for long, if the tone of their cry was anything to go by.

Still, she could investigate. If nothing else it would provide a decent distraction from her boredom. Maybe even a few useful supplies.

Keeping a tight grip on her ax, she started headed towards the direction of the disturbance. It only took a few minutes of walking for her to find the location.

At the base of a small cliff was a large body of water. The tranquil waters looked so peaceful compared to the ragged body lying on the shore.

The man, who must have been the source of the screaming, was face-down in the dirt. He was entirely soaked, and didn't so much as stir as she approached. Wendy frowned; she had been looking forward to meeting someone who wasn't dead. Oh well. Might as well have a bit of fun.

Following in the tradition set down by the very first children to run across a dead thing, she promptly found the nearest stick and began poking him in the face.

Much to her surprise, the 'corpse' started groaning. The girl jumped backwards with a small shout as he started moving.

The not-so-dead-man struggled into a sitting position, doubling over to spit out water and clods of dirt. Swaying from dizziness, his eyes slowly fixated on her. For a moment, the two of them stared in mutual silence.

That didn't last long.

Perhaps it was her pale complexion, or her unnerving demeanor, or maybe even the ax she was carrying. Whatever the reason, the moment he got his senses back the man immediately recoiled in terror.

"Gah! Don't kill me!" He screamed, frantically crawling as far away as possible. Please, I didn't mean to land in your lake! It was an accident! Don't haunt me!"

Wendy cocked her head to the side curiously.

"Sir?" She asked. "Is something the matter with your head?"

Seeming to notice that he wasn't being hacked limb from limb by a vengeful ghost, he stopped trying to flee.

"M-My head?" He ventured. "Wait, you're not a phantom?"

"Not to my knowledge." She saw him blink in surprise at her odd speech. "My name is Wendy. I've been living here for some time now. Are you trapped as well?"

His mouth hung open in shock.

"You're an actual child? He trapped a _child_ here?" His tone held both disbelief and outrage. "_Maxwell took a child here?_ That miserable! Sadistic! Son of a-" He managed to catch himself before cursing in front of someone so young.

Wendy watched quietly as he put his head in his hands.

"I knew he was bad, but this…" The man was muttering to himself now. "That's going too far."

Eventually, he composed himself enough to face her again.

"Sorry about that." He said. "My name is Wilson. And yes, I've been stuck here for a while also. Listen, it isn't safe here. There were some hounds chasing me earlier, and I doubt that they'll be giving up this easily. There'll be time to talk later, but right now I think it's best if we get as far away from here as possible. What do you say?"

With that, he got to his feet and held out his hand. Wendy examined the offered appendage with disinterest.

"I believe I know somewhere safe." She said, turning back the way she had come. "Come on. If we are quick we can make it back there before dark."

Not bothering to see if he would follow, she set off back towards her original base-camp.

* * *

This was turning into a very disturbing day for Willow. To put it simply, she had never seen any one person eat so much without passing out. Or throwing up. Or both.

Wolfgang shoveled down his fifth helping of carrot stew in record time. The man was a bottomless pit from which no food could hope to escape. When he emptied the wooden bowl of its contents, the massive man leaned back and let out an explosive belch.

"Is good!" He declared, much louder than was strictly necessary.

"Right…" Willow said, still working on her first bowl. The runny mush of a stew wasn't great, but it sure beat eating berries for every meal.

She had found Wolfgang earlier that day, after he had caused a miniature landslide of rocks and rubble. Apparently he had believed that rolling a boulder down a large hill would somehow clear a path through the forest for him. As it was, she had narrowly avoided being flattened by it.

Setting aside the remains of her meal, Willow began flicking her lighter on. It was a nervous habit she had picked up years ago.

"So, Wolfgang." She began. "I don't suppose you know a way out of the woods?"

If she was entirely honest with herself, the tree thickened area was a pain to live in. Strange sounds echoed from every corner, and she got the distinct feeling that she was being watched. Even worse, now that she knew other people like him were here as well, simply lighting everything on fire wasn't an option. Well it was, but she didn't feel like cleaning up the mess. Or informing families.

The large man didn't seem to notice her tension.

"Bah. Trees try to trap me, but I am too mighty for them." He stated. "I will find way out by breaking through silly wood. Wolfgang is stronger than forest!"

His words were about as useful as she had expected them to be.

"I suppose that could work." She said, doing her best not to roll her eyes at his 'strategy'. "But did you see any good direction from the top of that hill? Somewhere that didn't look like it would be filled with nasty things?"

He struck an almost comical thinking pose at her question. The way his mustache twitched during his, no doubt intense, consideration made it very difficult for her to keep a straight face.

"Hmmm. There was less trees in some places…"

She immediately perked up at the news.

"Which one?" She questioned.

He stood up and began slowly turning in circles. "Was left… no, right of… uh… little left from… there was large rock at some place…"

Her hopes plummeted back down to the ground as she saw he had no clue where the key to freedom was.

Closing her eyes, Willow gripped the lighter tightly in her fist. Right now she wanted nothing more than to let fire free her from this place. Burning the forest would be so easy. Not to mention it would be a spectacular sight. So many flames, reaching up into the heavens. A brilliant tapestry of red, orange, yellow, and white all swirling on the canvas of the night sky…

With inhuman willpower, she forced her thoughts away from those of an uncontrolled burn. Wolfgang wasn't fireproof. As annoyed as she was that he had almost turned her to paste with a runaway rock, she didn't want to be responsible for killing him. Not to mention anyone else who might be lost in these piney prisons.

Sudden movement in the distance snapped her out of her thoughts. Several miles away, a small cliff broke apart. She could see the tiny cascade of dirt falling down the length of it.

Seeing her expression, Wolfgang stopped his attempts at locating directions.

"Willow see something?"

She had. Pointing in the direction of the cliff, she told him what had happened.

"A piece of that cliff just broke off!" She said. "Do you know what that means?"

He stared blankly at her for a moment before turning fearful.

"Is monsters!?" He asked, suddenly trembling and looking in all directions. "Attacking cliffs!?"

"No, don't be stupid." She said. "Monsters don't exist. There's people over there! Maybe even people who know how to get out of here and back home!"

He didn't look entirely convinced.

"Let's get over there and find them!" She grabbed his arm and started pulling him along, a feat that was made rather impressive by the fact that he had almost double her body mass.

"B-But what if _IS_ monsters!?"

Willow grit her teeth in frustration.

"Then I'll light them on fire." She declared. "That will solve both our problems. Now get moving or I'm not letting you have any of my carrot stew tonight."

With a small whimper, Wolfgang fell in line behind her.

The borderline-pyromaniac could hardly contain her excitement. If she could find more people, then surely one of them would know how to get home.

Now all she had to do was reach them.


	3. A grand entrance

**I would like to take this opportunity to warn readers that there will be violence in this story. I'll try to keep it at or below a PG-13 level, but if it ever goes beyond that feel free to let me know so I can fix it. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Don't Starve or any of the characters**

* * *

His time in this strange world had erased most of the unspoken rules that Wilson had held dear before he had been imprisoned. Still, it felt somewhat disturbing to be following a strange young girl through the forest. He still hadn't ruled out the possibility that she was some kind of vengeful spirit, though that seemed less and less likely.

"So… Wendy?" He asked, just trying to fill the silence that had pervaded since she started leading him. "Who else is here with you?"

She observed him over her shoulder curiously.

"I've been in isolation since my arrival." She said. "The only company I've had up until now would be my sister Abigail."

"Oh? Is she waiting back at camp?" Wilson questioned, ducking to avoid a low hanging branch.

"No. She's dead."

The matter-of-fact statement took the scientist completely off guard. He stopped immediately, staring in disbelief at the child.

"She's… _dead_?" Suddenly he felt a much darker hatred towards Maxwell. "I'm so sorry. If I had known you were here… I had no idea there were other people and-"

She cut him off with a shake of her head.

"She didn't die here." Wendy explained. "That was a long time ago. In here, she can come to visit me every once in a while. She's kept me safe from the creatures of the night."

He didn't know exactly how to respond to that. They calm manner in which she discussed it assured him that she was telling the truth about it having happened long before being imprisoned in this place. Still, having her visit?

Wilson had to hold back a look of sympathy. It seemed the girl's loss hurt her more than she let on. If she had invented some pretend manner of contacting her departed sibling, she must have taken it very hard.

"That sounds nice." He said, deciding against questioning her coping mechanism. "You'll have to introduce me to her sometime."

The barest hint of a smile flittered across her features at that. Silence returned once more as they got under way again, but this time it didn't feel quite so oppressive. If anything, the scientist was feeling better than he'd been since he was tricked by Maxwell. Something so simple as human contact truly could work wonders.

The peace didn't last.

Wendy stopped without warning, her grip tightening around the ax. She turned to stare off over her left shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Wilson asked, following her gaze but finding nothing more than trees.

"The hounds are baying…"

The ominous warning was confirmed by a far off barking noise. The scientist blanched at the sound. He had almost forgotten about the twisted animals that had been chasing him.

"We need to move! _Now!_" He shouted, taking her arm and dashing forward. He doubted they would stand a chance against a whole pack of those things, especially considering he had lost his spear somewhere along the way. Probably when he went off the edge of that cliff. Feeling in his pocket, he confirmed that his knife was still with him at the very least.

Wendy was having a difficult time keeping up with him. Her legs were shorter, and even though he was heavily underfed she couldn't maintain the same pace he had.

"Stop!" She panted. "Mister Wilson! Stop for a moment!" He had little other choice as she dug her heels into the ground and refused to go further. While she struggled to catch her breath, Wilson's mind was racing.

What did they have at their disposal? A knife and a rusty looking ax. Not exactly prime combat equipment. And since she couldn't keep up…

He would probably regret this sooner or later. Stepping forward, he grabbed her under her arms and hoisted the girl over his shoulder, ignoring the outraged sounds of protest.

"This is for your own good!" He declared, taking off once more. From her position she shouted something unintelligible, but undoubtedly offensive while battering on him with her free hand. At least she wasn't using the ax on him.

Carrying her on his shoulder was a lot more difficult than he had first expected. Even if she hadn't been resisting him for reasons known only to herself, she was still heavy enough to slow him down.

What's worse, the barking was getting closer. It sounded like one of the hounds had pulled ahead of the pack and was closing in on them with frightening speed.

Bursting past a knot of tangled branches, Wilson nearly stumbled and fell as he ended up in the middle of a clearing. The sudden absence of trees clawing at him caused a moment of hesitation. The girl on his shoulder took this opportunity to jam her foot rather painfully into his gut.

With a choked cry, he doubled over dropping her to the ground and gasping for air. It could have been worse had she kicked a little lower, but it hurt none the less.

"_Don't. Do. That. Again._" She hissed at him, glaring as though he had smacked her mother with a frying pan.

"I'm trying to help!" He shot back. "In case you haven't noticed, we're being-"

His sentence was interrupted as one of the leading hounds erupted through the tree barrier and bounded into the clearing. The beast growled menacingly, slowing its pace as it approached. It knew they couldn't escape now.

Wilson felt panic threaten to claim him. Each muscle locked up with a brutally cold sensation gripping his heart. But he wouldn't give up that easily, especially not when his new companion's life was in danger. Even if she was somewhat uncooperative.

The hound's eyes met his own. For a brief second, the two regarded each other in terrifying silence. The scientist's hands slowly moved towards his knife, an action that wasn't lost on the creature. Its baleful glare deepened as he fumbled with the hilt.

In an instant, the tension snapped.

The hound launched off the spot, headed directly for his all-too-vulnerable body. Wilson tried to bring up his own weapon but it was obvious that he was too slow. Thankfully for him, Wendy was faster. She wasn't physically built for swinging her weapon with great force, but the sharp edge more than made up for this shortcoming.

She whipped the ax towards the beast as it sailed past. Wilson's ears were assaulted by the sickening sound of ripping meat as the blade sunk into its belly, the creature's own momentum splitting it wide open.

The dog crashed to the ground, letting out several strangled whines. Blood pooling around the body, it shuddered one last time before going still.

The scientist could only stare in shock.

"You… you just…"

"Slew the beast." She finished, wiping her ax off on the grass. "Would you have preferred I try to reason with it?"

"Uh…" Was there any right way to answer that? Wilson was getting the distinct feeling that following her might have been a mistake. Never before had he seen a child so at ease with killing something in such a manner.

His self-doubt gave way to fear as the rest of the hunting pack emerged. The giant dogs skidded to a halt as they spotted the body of their fallen companion. Five pairs of hate filled eyes locked onto them.

"I don't suppose you can do that five more times?" He ventured. Wendy shook her head, frowning as she realized there were more hounds than she had assumed there were.

Hesitation soon gave way to anger as their pursuers began snarling and snapping at the two. The pack slowly advanced, forcing Wilson and Wendy to back away. This was it. He was going to die without ever getting home. Some guilty part of him wanted to blame the girl at his side, but he knew that wasn't true. With or without her, the beasts would have hunted him down eventually.

"Wendy." He said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I have a plan."

She shot him a sideways glance. It was clear now that she was getting worried from the way she met his gaze hopefully.

"I'll get their attention. When I do that, run for the trees. It's me they're after, so you might be able to escape." He could hardly believe the words coming out of his own mouth, but he said them all the same. Wilson wasn't a man who believed in heroic sacrifices. He was practical, and all logical senses told him that this was a terrible decision.

Still, it felt like the right thing to do. She had shown that she was capable of defending herself, so maybe she would be able to survive in this desolate place. On top of that she was a child. His life might not have been the longest, but from a scientific standpoint he'd had a significantly longer time in this world than she had.

He didn't look at her when he said it. He was worried what expression she might be wearing. Be it worried concern or cold acceptance, it wouldn't take much to break his nerve right now.

Taking a deep breath, Wilson stepped forward. The hounds perked up at the sight of his boldness. Their lips pulled back, revealing far too many wicked fangs.

"Not a bad set of teeth you have there." He commented. "But I've got a bite of my own." Brandishing his knife, he stared directly into their eyes. He remembered reading somewhere that eye contact was a challenge for dogs, and judging by their snarling it was working.

Time seemed to slow down as the hounds shot forwards. He could feel each heartbeat as they quickly closed the distance. It was an odd sensation. Clenching his jaw, Wilson prepared to make his final stand.

Fate however, had other ideas.

"_WOOOOLLLLLLFFFFGGGAAAAANNNNNGGGG!"_

The bellowing battle cry signaled the arrival of a hulking wall of muscle. The man-shaped projectile intercepted one of the hounds, swinging a hammer golf style and smashing the bottom of its jaw with a sickening crack. The unfortunate beast was lifted off its feet, cartwheeling in the air before bashing into the ground. It didn't rise again.

The other animals stopped dead in their tracks, just as shocked by the sudden intervention as Wilson himself. The hulking figure raised his weapon (which was really nothing more than a large rock tied to a stick) and pointed it menacingly at the pack.

"Angry puppy men want to fight?" He taunted. "I will show you how real man fight!"

Before he could even think of how to react, the scientist felt a hand grip his shoulder. As if this day couldn't get any stranger, there was a young woman standing next to him.

"You might want to stand back." She warned. "Give him some space."

"He's going to be torn to pieces!" He argued, his thoughts still stuck in his about-to-die mindset. She scoffed at his concern.

"Believe me, _he's _not the one in danger here." She assured. "The hounds don't scare him, so they're as good as done for." Something in her logic felt flawed to the young man.

One of the larger beasts let out a howl, signaling the pack to charge. The four remaining hounds closed in on the man with violent intent plain on their features. Wilson was sure he was about to witness a bloodbath ending in his bulky savior's demise.

He was partially correct.

As soon as the hounds drew closer, the large man let loose another battle-cry and swung his hammer in a wide arc. The attackers were forced to leap back to avoid being pummeled. One wasn't quick enough.

The first dog in the line took the blow directly to its jaw, pulverizing its terrifying teeth and sending it sprawling. It could only whimper pitifully while dragging itself away from the giant's reach.

The other three took advantage of his wide attack, darting back in as his momentum left him vulnerable. They made the distinct mistake of underestimating his speed.

The hammer lashed out first left, then right, slamming against two of the animals and felling them in the blink of an eye. The last hound was too committed to back out, and instead leapt for his throat in a desperate gamble.

The strongman used his free arm to block the attack. Wilson flinched inwardly as the hound's teeth sunk deep into the man's arm.

He simply stood there looking at the beast that hung from his outstretched limb. If he was in pain he did a good job of hiding it. For a moment, he maintained that position. It didn't last long. And when his mood shifted everyone else took an unconscious step back.

The man's expression darkened, something even the crazed animal took notice of.

"Bad doggy." It was almost absurd how terrifying such a silly phrase could sound.

The hound sensed an imminent danger, and tried to escape. Unlatching its jaws from his arm, it fell to the ground and made a break for the edge of the clearing. It had taken all of three steps before a meaty hand grabbed a hold of its tail in an iron grip.

The man yanked the dog off its feet, and, impossibly, began dragging it in circles. His momentum quickly sped up with each rotation. Before long, the hound was spinning in his grasp with its feet in the air.

"You! Don't! Bite! Wolfgang!" He shouted, each word punctuated by a further burst of speed.

Everything about this situation seemed so entirely wrong, and yet Wilson couldn't tear his eyes away from it. The beast and the man had become an almost indistinct blur as they spun faster than he would have thought possible given their relative masses.

With a mighty roar, the man hurled the creature with every ounce of his incredible strength. The hound flew like it had been shot out of a cannon, clearing the top of a large tree and disappearing with a series of terrified yelps.

The sound of breaking branches and a massive crash a mighty crash assured the group that gravity was indeed still working as intended.

Silence fell in the clearing as the scientist, the bereaved child, the fire starter, and the strongman all let the impact of what had occurred sink in. Wilson was the first to break the veil.

"How- who- what- I don't-" He had an incredibly difficult time of formulating his words into any recognizable questions. "Who are you!? _What in the name of science is going on!?_"

The young woman laughed a bit at his outburst.

"That's gratitude for you." She remarked. "I told you he was fine didn't I? Anyway I'm Willow, and he, as you might have guessed, is Wolfgan-"

"I am Wolfgang! Mightiest of men!" His interjection was followed by an impressive pose that pushed his chest out as far as it could go. Willow only spared him a mildly annoyed glance.

"Right. Anyway, we saw the cliff off in the distance start breaking up and thought there might be someone else living around here." She said, ignoring Wolfgang's deflated disappointment at the lack of attention. "Looks like I was right. So, who might you two be?"

The scientist was unsure of what to make of them. On one hand, they had just saved his life as well as Wendy's. On the other, he'd made a point of avoiding people who defied the laws of physics up until now. Then again, Maxwell didn't seem too respectful of logic either…

"My name is Wilson." He said at last, deciding that trusting them couldn't put him in any worse position than before.

"And this is…" He gestured to the girl at his side, but continued when she made no move to introduce herself. "…Wendy. She found me earlier today."

"Nice to meet you." Willow said, an eager relief in her features. He could understand that. After being alone for so long, meeting not one, but _three_, people in the same day had left him a bit lightheaded.

"So then." She began. "Do either of you happen to know the way out of this forest? I've been stuck in here for way too long, and I could really do with some nice open plains."

"Actually, I just came from the plains." Wilson said, much to the delight of the young woman. "I was staying out there before the hounds showed up. Though I'm not sure how to get back."

"You're not?" She questioned, her expression becoming crushed in an instant. "How can you not know if you were just there?"

"I was running for my life!" He defended. "I didn't exactly get much of a chance to look where I was going after I got thrown off a cliff."

"I know the way."

All eyes turned towards Wendy. It was the first thing she'd said since the two newcomers had arrived.

"You do?" Willow asked once more, hope edging into her voice. The pale girl nodded.

"Abigail flew up high the first day I was here and told me." She explained. "She gave me an idea of the landscape."

"Who is Abigail? Is another girl?" Wolfgang asked, scratching his chin.

"She's my sister."

"Wait, there's another person out here? Where is she now?" Willow asked.

"She's not here right now." The girl explained for the second time that day. "She died a long time ago." That threw them off.

The young woman was about to ask the obvious question in this situation, but a look from Wilson warned her against it.

"All right…" She said, not sure whether she should be pursuing the matter or not. "Well, dead sibling or not, if you know the way out of this place then lead on. The sooner we're free from all these trees the better."

"Not tonight." Wendy said, pointing at the sky. "It's getting too dark to be traveling. Sinister forces are at work, and without Abigail here it would be too dangerous."

Wolfgang frowned. "Little girl has fancy words."

"Yea, she does." Wilson agreed. "But she is right. It'd be hazardous to go out in the night. I've heard a lot of strange sounds and I'd rather not see what was making them. I suggest we make a campfire here and wait until the morning."

Willow, who had been looking increasingly distressed, immediately brightened up at the mention of a campfire.

"That sounds like a plan." She said, pulling out a lighter. "I got dibs on the lighting. What say you gentlemen help me get some kindling?"

Wolfgang immediately jumped up.

"I get much firewood!" He declared. "Make mighty fire! Mighty like me!" Without waiting for anyone's permission, he began smacking away at trees with his hammer. It wasn't a very efficient way of getting wood, but Wilson wasn't about to get in his way after the earlier show of force.

The scientist sat down and leaned against a nearby rock. To think in the past twenty four hours, he'd gone from being alone, to chased by hounds, to nearly drowning, to being chased again, all to end up finding three other people in this crazy world.

Closing his eyes, he took the first relaxing breath he'd had in a long time.

This was going to get interesting.


	4. And so it begins

**Final part of the introduction. Next week, the survival starts in earnest. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Don't Starve or any of the characters. **

* * *

Wendy was the first one to wake up the following morning. It was odd to open her eyes and see other people nearby. She'd grown so accustomed to the solitude that being around others besides Abigail felt off somehow. She was tempted to go around forcing them into wakefulness so that they could get underway, but instead chose to observe them in silence.

Wolfgang had just about passed out on the edge of their camp. His head rested on his folded arms, and he would periodically let out a massive snore. Small trickles of drool leaked out the side of his mouth as he snuffled in his dreaming state. A graceful sleeper he was not.

Willow had elected to fall asleep as close to the fire as was humanly possible without actually standing inside it. Her rucksack, fashioned from excess cloth and containing useful things like cooking materials, served as a pillow for the young woman. She at least had the self-control to keep her mouth shut while she slept.

Out of all of them, Wilson seemed to be the most interesting. While she was more than a little annoyed that he had invaded her personal space the other day, she couldn't help but be fascinated with the way he had taken charge so quickly.

When it became clear that they weren't going anywhere during the night he had divided up the necessary chores between them with ease, even carefully measuring out their food supplies (that were generously provided by Willow and Wolfgang) so that everyone got their fair share when they sat down to eat.

Right now, the scientist was huddled in a sitting position against a tree. His head was down on his knees with both arms wrapped around them, giving him the look of someone in mourning. The only indication he gave of being asleep was his slow and steady breaths. There was something strange about him that Wendy couldn't quite put her finger on.

Shaking her head to dispel the scrutiny of her companions, she turned her attention to the flower that rested lightly in the palm of her hands. She could feel a tingling sensation when she held it. The girl couldn't help but smile. Abigail was getting closer, and soon the two sisters would be reunited again. It was only a matter of time now.

She sat silently for the better part of an hour. It wasn't the most interesting experience, but it gave her time to think about the path they would be taking. Wendy's understanding of the terrain ended at the edge of the forest. Once they were out in the plains, it would be a whole new experience. That thought was equal parts exciting and deterring to her.

Soon, an assortment of grumbles and half-conscious mumbling signaled that the others were waking up. Mentally fortifying herself for the day ahead, the bereaved child got ready to make her parting preparations.

"I hope you get here soon Abigail." She muttered, gently placing the flower in her pocket while putting on her backpack. "I'm sure the others would love to meet you."

* * *

"_FREEDOM!"_

The ecstatic cry shook the edge of the forest, sending birds into a panic induced flight and terrorizing the local bunny population.

Willow let out a joy filled laugh of relief as she dashed out of the tree line and collapsed on her back. She knew that the others would probably think she was crazy, but right now that didn't matter.

"I never thought I'd love the color blue so much." She said, gazing up at the uninhibited view of the sky. It was a lovely thing to not have her view blocked by trees for once. She vowed to never doubt the little blonde girl's directions again.

"Was it really that bad in the woods?" Wilson asked, giving her an amused glance. She had to actively prevent herself from flinching at that.

It wasn't the forest that was the problem. It was the _trees_. So much flammable wood just sitting around doing nothing… It was enough to drive a girl insane. But how could she possibly explain her infatuation with flames to them?

The short answer was; she couldn't.

More than one doctor had diagnosed her love affair with fire as a 'condition'. Something that had to be controlled lest she harm someone. Sometimes she had to agree. If she'd burned the forest to the ground, then all three of her new friends likely would have died without ever meeting her. At the same time, she couldn't help but be drawn to the pyrotechnics. Always wanting to see a fire so large that it blotted out all other sights…

"I guess I just got a bit sick of them after a couple weeks." She offered lamely. It wasn't a very strong excuse, but thankfully he didn't seem bothered enough to continue the subject.

"I like this place already." Willow said, getting back up and dusting herself off. "What say we stick around for a little while just to savor it?"

"We can't." Wilson stated. "This is near where I was camped out originally. There's hardly any food left here. I was just about digging up the dregs of it when the hounds chased me into the forest."

"Where we go then?" Wolfgang asked, stepping forward to look out over the grassy fields. "I see no food place. Do you know one?"

The scientist took a moment to think.

"Well… If I recall correctly, the hounds that attacked me came from somewhere towards the east with their backs to the rising sun." He turned in the mentioned direction, holding up his hands in a mental picture frame as he remembered the incident. "Since I don't really want to find out where they call home, I suggest we head north-west instead."

The small group observed the offered path in silence for several moments. There were no obvious landmarks or points of interest, but nobody else had any other real suggestions. Besides, if they went back into the forest, Willow was sure she'd burn the whole island down by sunset.

"Sounds good to me." She said. "Any objections?"

Wolfgang shook his head, hoisting up her pack on his back. He had generously offered to carry it while they traveled, though she had the sneaking suspicion that he might be looking to sneak a few snacks when nobody was looking. That man could eat like an elephant.

Wendy simply shrugged her shoulders. Apparently her sense of direction ended when they left the confines of the trees.

"North-west it is." Willow said, "Lead on Mister Wilson."

"Uh… right." He said, scratching the back of his neck. "Just call me Wilson. Mister makes me feel old."

"Right then. Wilson, if you would be so kind…" She gestured for him to take the lead. He had done all right so far, and she was happy to let him keep it up so long as he didn't lead them off a cliff or something equally as inconvenient.

Falling in line behind the scientist, they all began the long journey towards what would hopefully be a warm and welcoming existence.

* * *

Sometimes, Wilson thought that the world was just out to get him. No more than five minutes after they had started walking, the sky decided that now would be an excellent time to rid itself of excess water weight.

The downpour had the irritating effect of forcing them to take cover beneath a rocky outcrop on the side of a hill. It wasn't very large, but it was the only space around that would give them any shelter from the falling rain.

"And to think the day had started out so promising." Wilson muttered to himself. His hair was drenched and ragged, but what was worse was the state of his notes. The miniature dialogues he had written to keep track of his trials were all but ruined. Between the fall into the lake, and the unrelenting precipitation, the writings had become almost unreadable. It was somewhat humbling.

"Come on…" Willow had taken it upon herself to find some relatively dry kindling and attempt to light a fire in their tiny refuge.

"_Come on!_" She hissed in frustration, scowling as her lighter failed once more to ignite the soggy bundle of sticks and moss.

Both she and Wolfgang were very unhappy with the rain. Still, while the large man seemed to be very uncomfortable in the cold and wet, she looked almost frantic. It was as though the touch of water had put her into a miniature panic mode.

Wendy sat apart from the group, or at least as far apart as the confines of their space would allow. That was one thing Wilson had noticed about her. She never got closer than arm's length with anyone in the group. The quirk was likely the same thing that caused her outburst when he had picked her up.

She was the least visibly bothered by the weather, and was content to stare off into space while they struggled to get warm. The scientist however, had other plans. She had remained mostly silent during their whole trip thus far and he knew that such things weren't healthy for a child.

"Wendy?" He ventured, speaking low so as not to distract Willow from her task of lighting the fire. Apparently he spoke too low as the girl didn't react at all.

"Wendy?" He questioned again, slightly more forcefully. This time it caught her attention.

"What is it?" She asked, a slight flicker of annoyance blinking through her features. That was another thing he noticed. She rarely displayed outward emotion for more than a second.

"I just wanted to check to be sure you were all right." He said. "You've been looking a bit out of sorts for a little while now."

"I'm fine." She assured, trying to end the conversation before it began. Something was bothering her, he could tell that much.

"I'm glad to hear that." He said, attempting a verbal peace offering. "Listen, I know this is a bit soon, but would you mind telling me how you ended up here?"

It wasn't exactly the most cheerful of topics, but Wilson was at a loss when thinking about what else he could ask. It wasn't as if he could bring up things like her favorite color or pastime. She seemed far too mature to be baited in like that.

"He brought me here."

Wilson was quiet for a moment. He had no doubt who she was referring to. There was only one man with the power and the will to draw people into this world.

"I'm sorry to hear that." He said. She was unmoved by the sympathy. "If you don't mind me asking, how exactly have you been holding out for so long on your own?"

She remained silent. For a long time, the only noise that could be heard was that of Willow attempting to light the fire which still stubbornly refused to cooperate. Just as he began to think that Wendy had decided to refuse him any further answers, she drew a small flower out from her pocket.

"Abigail has been protecting me." She said softly. The flower rested in her palm, held as gently as though it were a new born child. Despite this, Wilson was struck by the floral creation's presence. Just being near it sent a chilling shiver through him as though there was a spectral finger running up and down his spine.

"Is that… hers…?" He ventured, unable to pull his gaze away from it. The girl nodded, curling her fingers around the flower protectively.

"She got hurt a while ago. I've been waiting for her since then, but she has yet to find me again." Her words were spoken in a neutral tone, but there was a small touch of loneliness to them. "That was about five days ago."

Despite how strongly he knew it wasn't possible, Wilson couldn't help but believe her. Being so close to the flower felt so disturbingly moving that he could almost imagine that it was somehow connected to a girl from beyond the grave.

"How long will it take for her to come back?" He ventured, trying to understand whether this was actually a case of her sister rising from the dead, or simply the imagination of a grief-stricken child.

She just shrugged.

"Well… I'm sure she won't be too long. From what you've told me, she sounds very nice." He hadn't intended to say that, but the words worked their way out of his mouth regardless. He wanted Wendy to feel at ease, even if he didn't exactly know why she was so distant to begin with.

She cast a hesitant gaze his way, unsure of whether he was being serious or not. Eventually, she seemed to satisfy her doubts.

"Thank you." She said. The words were simple, but there was a hint of genuine gratitude mixed in.

Their conversation was rather abruptly interrupted when Willow cut her finger on one of the sharper sticks, letting out a string of very unladylike curses. Very few of which Wilson had actually heard used before.

A very awkward silence followed.

"Um. Maybe I should go help her with the fire…"

Wendy nodded at his offer, seemingly unbothered by the foul language.

Making his way over to the young woman's side, the scientist reflected on what had just happened. While he might not have succeeded in bringing the girl closer into their group, he had gotten her to open up somewhat. For now, that would need to be enough.

Now all he had to do was figure out how to light damp kindling…

* * *

Several hours later, the rain eventually decided to show mercy to its four victims. Wolfgang poked his head cautiously outside their shelter.

"Rainy clouds are gone!" He announced heartily, his mood improving drastically at the good news.

"Ugh _finally._" Willow grumbled. It had quickly become clear that the pile of twigs they had gathered was too moist to burn, and that had taken its toll on her.

The group crawled out from beneath the outcropping, stretching their bodies which had become stiff from the confined space.

Wilson pushed on his back, allowing himself a breath of relief as the tension worked its way out of his system. There was still daylight left, and that meant that they would be able to hopefully salvage something from the miserable start of their journey.

"Everyone have everything they need?" He checked, getting an assortment of nods and 'yes's' "We don't want to leave anything behind."

"It's not like we have all that much to carry in the first place." Willow pointed out.

"I know. I know. I just want to be sure." Turning to face the direction they had chosen to travel in, he was suddenly struck by the atmosphere.

Something had changed. He couldn't put a direct label to it, but the air had gone still in what he could only think to describe as silent anticipation. It was as though he was standing in front of a massive audience about to unveil his greatest invention. From the reactions of his companions, he wasn't the only one who felt it either.

The world held its collective breath, watching them with an almost feverish gaze. Each one of them could feel that they were standing on the precipice of something incredible, but none knew exactly what that entailed.

Wilson felt a wall of doubt take shape in his heart. What was he doing? He wasn't a survivalist. He wasn't a leader. He was a scientist who had foolishly allowed himself to be tricked by his own desire for knowledge. No matter how much he claimed to despise Maxwell, he knew that it was his own fault in the end.

He couldn't do this. Every sense was warning him that this was the point of no return. He might not be aware of the stakes, but he knew that if he continued on the path they were following he would be putting all their lives at risk.

And yet…

If he turned back, what good would that do? Would they cling to life, living day by day in this freakish world of nightmares? Would they forever be stuck here with no chance of ever going home? Yes they would. To turn back now would be to admit defeat before the fight had even started. No matter how much he feared the unknown that lay ahead of him, Wilson knew he couldn't give up.

Not now.

Not ever.

Turning back to look at his followers, he made eye contact with each of them. Willow. Wolfgang. Wendy. They had all been thrown here by a force alien to their understanding. Now, they would show that they were not about to surrender to it.

One by one, the held his gaze. He took heart from their resolve, and they did the same with his. Despite their separate pasts, they held a common future.

"Let's go." He stated. There was nothing else that needed to be said. Nothing else that could be said.

As one, they all set off along the open grasslands. Though none of them could know it, they were embarking on a journey that would take them to the ends of their new world. A path that would push them to their limits. Joy and heartbreak. Anguish and comfort. They would experience trials they couldn't even begin to comprehend.

The promise of hardships and conflict clung to their bodies, but they strode forward regardless. The four of them had just taken the first steps on a mission that they couldn't afford to fail.

They were going to find Maxwell.


	5. Raising the dead

**Disclaimer: I don't own Don't Starve or any of the characters**

* * *

"Look… I'm all for lighting stuff on fire, but are you sure this is a good idea?"

Wilson had to suppress a sigh. He'd already gone over the plan several times, but no matter how well he explained it Willow held on to an edge of hesitation. Not that he could really blame her all things considered.

"It'll be perfectly safe." He assured for the umpteenth time. "We just need to get the smoldering bundle close to the hive, and the smoke will do the rest. The bees inside will become placid, and we'll be able to get at the honey without getting attacked."

The plan was something he'd seen done multiple times in the past. Of course, back then it had been done on ordinary honey bees. The kind that were small and fat. These ones however, were significantly larger just like the hounds had been. The smallest was about the size of his hand. Still, if they had roughly the same biological structure as regular bees (which he desperately hoped they did) then smoking them out of their hive _should_ work.

In theory.

Willow seemed to sense his lack of surety, and gave him a questioning frown. Her love of starting fire was fighting against her love of not being stung to death by ferocious insects.

"And if it _doesn't_ work?" She questioned.

"In the unlikely event that something goes wrong, you should be able to outrun them." Wilson replied, gesturing towards several of the bees. Sure enough, the massive creatures were buzzing around at a leisurely pace that could have been out-sped by a mildly distressed toddler. On top of that, their considerable weight meant that they had to pause every now and then to rest up.

"Besides." He added. "Wouldn't a bit of honey make for an excellent change of flavor? I happen to remember a few old recipes involving honey, a couple cuts of meat, and some added vegetables."

"Fine." She conceded at last, striking her lighter to ignite the torch that would act as their smoker. "But if anything goes wrong, you are _SO_ dead."

"Trust me. Nothing will go wrong."

* * *

As it turns out, the hive had been more flammable than they had originally anticipated. Nor did the smoke from a burning pile of honeycombs seem to pacify the bees. If anything, it seemed to whip them into a frenzy.

"Well…" Wilson started awkwardly, "On the bright side, I managed to get some of the honey while you kept them distracted…"

The only answer he received from the limping young woman was a glare promising death and destruction on an unimaginable scale if he kept talking.

Deciding discretion was the better part of valor, he shut up.

It had been three weeks since they had set forth out of the forest. In that time the four survivors had successfully established a sort of base camp in the grasslands. And, thanks in no small part to Wilson's ingenuity; they were starting to do fairly well for themselves.

Wolfgang proved to be second to none when it came to gathering tough resources like logs and rocks. His boundless strength and energy made him the ideal choice. At first it had been somewhat challenging seeing as the only tools they had were his hammer and Wendy's ax, but Wilson soon remedied that. It was amazing what you could make with sticks, sharp rocks, and a bit of tightly woven grass. The makeshift tools weren't durable but they were functional.

Wendy had wanted to be part of the hunting group, but the gentleman scientist was having none of that. Killing animals was a gruesome task, and despite her previous lack of concern for the deaths of the hounds, it still felt terribly wrong to expose such a young girl to an activity like that if it could be avoided. Maybe he was being a bit dramatic, but still.

Instead, she had taken up weaving. What had started out as a mildly amusing way to pass the time quickly became an incredible benefit. Turning grass into rope, crafting useful items like packs for the two in the group who lacked them, and creating traps that they used to snare bunnies and small birds was a wonderful aid. On top of that, while it was repetitive work it gave her something to focus her restless energy on. More and more, she'd become devoted to watching the flower of hers at all times of day. This allowed her to distract herself at least for a time.

Early on, Willow had been the only gatherer since Wilson was in charge of directing the group and ensuring everything was working smoothly. That changed once they got into the hang of things. With more free time, he had elected to accompany her both to provide aid and to get a better idea of the world they were living in.

Her infatuation with burning things quickly became apparent. At first it had been somewhat terrifying, fire being one of the most dangerous things to them in such a grass-laden area, but he soon realized how helpful her quirk was. When night snuck up on them and there was no time to build a flame by rubbing two sticks together, she and her lighter were there to save the day. Wilson had no idea how much fuel was left in the object, but as long as it kept them safe he was happy to encourage her slight pyromania.

During times like this however, he was painfully aware of how flammable the human body could be.

The thick silence stretched on as they walked.

Maybe he should try saying something to soothe the tension. Sure she'd looked about ready to kill him the last time he spoke up, but if he approached the conversation from a different angle, things might go better.

He _really_ didn't want her to stay mad at him. Mostly because he had a tendency of falling asleep before she did, and dearly wanted to be able to wake up again.

Bracing himself for possible backlash, he opened his mouth to try again. He didn't get far. No sooner had the first syllable of his sentence been formed than a piercing, and disturbingly high pitched, scream echoed throughout the landscape.

Both of them stopped dead in their tracks. The fire starter and the scientist locked eyes for a brief moment before taking off sprinting towards their base camp. Their previous gripes were forgotten in the face of the terrified noise.

Wilson's breath rushed in and out of his lungs as he pushed himself to move faster. Even after having been here for well over a month, physical exertion of this kind still took its toll on his body.

He pushed on regardless, one thought burning through his mind. The scream could only have come from Wendy. In all the time that the group had been together, he'd never seen her frightened once. If she was scared enough to be yelling then something terrible must have happened.

The pack thudded uncomfortably against his back as he ran. Pulling his knife out, he made ready to face whatever unnatural horror had been sent to torment them now. Willow did much the same with her lighter. While it may be an unconventional weapon, he'd seen it used to terrifying effect against a nest of monstrously large spiders.

Their campsite soon came into view. From this distance it was hard to tell, but he couldn't see anything wrong with it immediately.

"Wendy! Wolfgang!" Wilson shouted, putting on an extra burst of speed now that they were so close. "What's happening!? We heard… we… what…"

His words trailed off into nothingness as he caught sight of the highly unsettling image that was waiting for them.

Wendy wasn't frightened. In fact, she was smiling. The upturn of her mouth seemed so out of place on the normally morbid child that he had to do a double take.

That was when he saw the flower.

The ruby red plant that had proven so downright creepy to be around had apparently decided to step things up a notch. Literally. As Wilson stared in open-mouthed shock, Abigail's flower hovered in place around half a foot off the ground.

"Hello there." Wendy greeted, the almost unnatural smile never leaving her face. "Have you heard the good news? Abigail is almost here! We just need to help her find the way back!"

He couldn't speak. What was there to say? Up to this point, he'd seen a fair amount of things that contradicted beliefs he'd held sacred, but each of them had at least some basis in fact. Large animals were still animals. A floating flower however…

"How are you doing that?" Willow questioned, significantly less traumatized by the impossibility of it than he was. "That's incredible! Can you make other things hover also?"

"I'm not doing anything." The girl explained. "That's Abigail telling me that she's ready to come out and play."

The young woman was about to say something else, but Wilson cut her off.

"Hold on a minute!" He demanded, trying to salvage some level of believability from the situation. "Was this what all the screaming was about?"

Wendy frowned for a moment before realizing what he was asking.

"Oh, that wasn't me." She said, gesturing to the far end of the camp. "It was him."

Sure enough there was a trembling figure that had gone previously unnoticed by the two foragers. Wolfgang was attempting to hide himself behind a small boulder in the perimeter of their camp with minimal success.

"_He_ made that noise?" Willow asked in disbelief. She got a small nod in response from the girl who was too busy cradling her flower to give any other indications.

"Evil flower is scary!" Wolfgang defended from his hiding spot, sensing the threat to his honor.

"Evil is a matter of perception." Wendy shot back. Her smile was replaced by a glare after the strongman insulted her precious item. "I'm sure the rabbits would consider _you_ to be the devil."

As amusing as the following argument no doubt would have been, Wilson stepped in before it could take off.

"Everyone stop for a minute!" He demanded, stamping on the ground to emphasize his point. "Now someone PLEASE tell me what in the world is happening? _One at a time!_" He added before the two of them could both start barraging him with duel explanations.

At his gesture, Wendy gave him the details.

"The flower belongs to Abigail." She reminded him. Not that he could have forgotten such a detail even if he tried. "It gains power the closer she is to this world. The floating means that she's ready to come back!"

Wilson's mind was racing as he processed the information. The dead couldn't influence such a phenomenon, unless it was some kind of mag- _NO!_ He would not use the M word! The moment he did that, all hopes of a scientific explanation would go out the window.

He could find out what was going on if he tried hard enough.

"May I see it for a moment?" He asked, making sure his tone was as considerate as possible. He knew this item was precious to her, and wanted to ensure she knew he would treat it well.

Wendy looked down, biting her lip. Like any child, she was hesitant to trust anyone else with an item so close to her heart. Eventually she let out a small sigh and nodded.

The girl held out the flower and Wilson accepted it, cupping his hands under hers so that it would only fall a short distance. The moment she pulled back, his breath left him in a rush.

It was one thing to observe the object when it was held by its owner. To hold it in his hands was something else entirely. A not altogether unpleasant tingling sensation ran up and down his arms. A vague memory of standing in a graveyard at night as a boy surfaced in his mind. In that moment, he was back there. Terrified and drawn closer at the same time.

"Uh, Wilson? Are you feeling all right?"

Willow's voice brought the scientist back to reality. He had been so absorbed by the raw feeling that he hadn't realized how intensely he'd been staring down at the flower.

"I-I'm fine." He mumbled, feeling anything but. "Here, why don't you have this back?" There was no way he could think of a scientific answer to his question while holding it. With one smooth motion, Wendy plucked the flower from his palms and brought it back to her chest. He had to suppress a noise of mixed relief and regret as it left.

An expectant silence descended on the group as they all settled around Wendy, with the exception of Wolfgang who only ventured slightly closer. Sure he'd seen Wilson hold the flower and not be torn into pieces, but he still didn't trust it.

"So, what happens now?" Willow asked, unsure of what to make of the situation. "I mean… I'm all for meeting new people, but you said she was dead didn't you? Can she actually come back from that?"

The young girl's smile became much more unsettling as she heard that.

"Oh yes." She said. "You just sit back and watch. Soon, I'll be able to introduce you to her."

* * *

It had been a long time since she felt this way before. Excited, filled with nervous anticipation. It reminded her of the times when she was very young and would wake up early on her birthday, Abigail by her side as the two of them would run to their parents' sides.

Back before the cruelty of the world had taught her that such things never lasted.

That didn't matter now though. The other three all watched her in silence as she got to her feet. Rummaging through her pack, she brought out an object she'd been saving for quite some time now.

A tiny grass case she had woven held a red butterfly inside. For days, she'd devoted all of her free time to ensuring that the small insect was healthy and alive. Capturing and looking after it had been very time consuming, but it would all be worth it in a moment.

A muffled 'awwww' sounded from behind her as Willow and Wilson had soft smiles on their faces. Even Wolfgang looked significantly less afraid upon seeing the cute little thing.

Carefully, Wendy set the tiny trap down next to Abigail's flower. The others all crowded in to get a better look as she made her final preparations.

It was time.

Without word or warning, the girl lifted her right foot up high, before bringing it crashing down on creature she had looked over so diligently. The holding case smashed in on itself as the butterfly's life was extinguished with an audible crunch.

The smile vanished from Willow's face, and Wilson looked like he was about to be sick.

"What was that!?" He asked, his face the image of horrified shock. "Why did you-"

A chilling wind cut through the plains, its unexpected presence cutting off his complaints. Wisp-like threads and whispers filled the air as the sky turned several degrees darker. Letting out another wail, Wolfgang dove back behind the rock he'd taken shelter under before. The other two both recoiled from the flower as the strands of ethereal substance shot towards it.

"Wendy! Get away from it!" Willow shouted, her voice nearly being drowned out by the rushing wind. The girl however, ignored her warnings. She alone stood in the eye of the storm as a miniature hurricane swirled around her.

Very slowly, the threads formed together into a being she'd become very familiar with. The wind reached a frantic peak as the image took shape, nearly blowing her off her feet before cutting off entirely.

Silence returned. Nobody dared to make even the slightest sound as they all watched the new arrival. Every expression from terror, to denial, to awe lay bare on their faces. Wendy ignored them all.

Instead, she turned to the ghostly apparition that floated gently in front of her.

"Hello Abigail."


	6. Sister dearest

**Disclaimer: I don't own Don't Starve or any of the characters**

* * *

She had told them. Repeatedly, she'd gone to great lengths when describing her sister. She'd done it so many times, and yet Wilson had never actually believed the words to be true. He'd smile. He'd nod. He'd agree with her, because what else was there to do? Explain that her dead sibling wasn't ever coming back? It was a good thing he hadn't tried to or he'd look even more ridiculous than he did right now.

When the wind finally stopped blowing, silence had moved in to take its place. Nobody dared to speak a single word for fear of destabilizing what little bonds of reality were still in place after this impossible summoning.

Wilson's mind was torn in half. The scientist in him rebelled against the very notion of what he was seeing.

It couldn't happen! Ghosts didn't rise from the dead after a blood sacrifice! Sure the flower had been floating, but that could be explained. Perhaps it had been pieced together around a small mechanical motor that simulated a hovercraft. Or maybe it had somehow entered a state of flux in which its mass would rapidly switch back and forth between being heavy and light, giving the illusion of remaining suspended in the air.

Even as that part of him dug its heels into the ground, refusing to budge another inch, the inventor in him was beyond fascinated. He'd always been interested in knowing the unknown, even if it challenged what he'd often thought sacred. Few things broke the laws of nature as thoroughly as this did.

Floating in front of Wendy was a translucent figure, emitting an eerie white light. When it remained still, the being would form into a recognizable image. It, no, _she_ looked to be the blonde girl's mirror image in almost every way. They had the same figure, the same skin and hair color, even the same clothing. However, as he looked closer, he spotted some small differences.

Where Wendy's features were soft and rounded, Abigail's looked much sharper. Her cheeks were gaunt and her body thin. The clothing that inexplicably (though thankfully) covered her hung heavily on her form, giving the implication of a spindly frame. It was as though her death had robbed her of whatever body mass she had accumulated in life.

Her eyes were also significantly different.

After spending so much time around Wendy, Wilson had grown used to the near-emotionless stare she had. Abigail couldn't have been more different if she tried. Despite having no physical form, her eyes showed a depth of feeling that communicated her thoughts as clearly as if she had just spoken them. Right now they were showing both excitement at being summoned, as well as curiosity towards the strangers that were staring in silent awe at her.

This entire evaluation took approximately five seconds. As soon as Abigail regained her bearings she started moving, an action that blurred her image into a single shapeless mass of white. The only defining features she had while in motion were her eyes, and the flower that rested weightlessly on the top of her head.

"Er… hello there…" Willow greeted as the phantom floated closer to her. From the looks of things, she was struggling to resist the urge to start sprinting in the other direction. An urge that was not being handled quite so well by Wolfgang, if the whimpering noises he was making were any indication.

The ghost responded with a strange echoing whisper sound. It was impossible to tell what was being said, but from the slight tilt of her indistinct head, it almost looked like a question of some kind.

"I-I-I don't… I mean, I-I'm not sure…" Willow's stuttering was cut off as Wendy stepped forwards.

"These are my new friends Abigail." She said warmly, standing beside the apparition. "The ones I told you about, remember? This is Willow, the man behind the rock is Wolfgang, and that's Wilson. I've been staying with them for a while now."

Hearing his name mentioned finally snapped Wilson out of the daze he'd been stuck in since the ghost girl's appearance.

"This is Abigail…?" It was more of a statement than a question, but Wendy nodded regardless.

"You believed that I was lying to you?"

"No! Of course not!" He assured reflexively. One look at her face made him regret that. She knew full well that he'd dismissed her earlier descriptions of her sister as childish hopefulness. Despite being young, she was far more mature than her appearance let on.

"Eh, well… I wasn't expecting _this_, that's for sure." He conceded, seeing that there was no use in trying to mask his initial actions from her. "How is this possible? Is there some technique to bringing her back that you learned somewhere? I've heard that there are supposedly some tribal doctors that claim to bring back the dead, but I never met anyone who could actually do it."

Now that he could see it was possible, his insatiable need for answers and explanations demanded he found out how she did it. This could be one of the greatest scientific breakthroughs in history! He could publish a scholarly article detailing raising the souls of the departed that would be referred to for centuries! Why, all he needed was-

Wendy shrugged. Such a simple gesture, and yet it caused the scientist's hopes and dreams to come crashing down around his head in an instant.

"I don't know how it works." She explained honestly. "I've always carried around her flower, and when I got here it started behaving very strangely. I found out about the blood sacrifice when a toad grabbed it from my hands. I chopped the vile creature up and suddenly Abigail was here."

As if to give credence to her words, the specter floated around the girl in a soft circle. The way the two sisters acted around one another might have been touching were it not so disturbing.

"Wolfgang, you can come out now." Willow said, trying to coax the large man out from his attempted hiding spot. "I don't think she's going to hurt us. You don't want to be rude, now do you?"

The strongman slowly crept out from behind the rock. It was clear that he was utterly mortified at the idea of being anywhere near Abigail, but to his credit he didn't flee from what was undoubtedly a terrifying experience.

"I-I-I-Is g-g-good to m-m-m-meet y-you." He offered, standing mostly out from behind his cover. Seeming to understand the nature of his concerns, Abigail stopped moving and allowed her form to slowly solidify into the transparent image of a young girl. She still looked fairly creepy, but it was enough to at least keep him from having a heart attack on the spot.

"Great. See? She's not that scary after all, is she?" Willow questioned. She seemed to have recovered quite quickly after their new guest's appearance. "Now how about we start cooking up some dinner? We went through a heck of a lot of trouble to get this honey, so I say we enjoy it."

* * *

An hour later, things had settled down somewhat from the dramatic encounter. Even Wolfgang was regaining some of his lost confidence as Wendy detailed some of her sister's exploits over their meal. As promised, Wilson had cooked up a nice batch of honey glazed rabbit bits. The sweet meat, mixed with assorted berries and carrots, made for a welcome change in flavor from the dry assortment they'd been making due with.

All except for the scientist himself at least. While the others enjoyed their tiny feast and listened to Wendy's stories, he turned his mind away from Abigail and towards more practical things. He knew if he kept thinking about her he'd likely go mad, so instead he decided to focus on the plans he had for expanding their campsite. After losing almost all of his recorded notes, he'd re-purposed the notepad into a sketchbook for detailing the blueprints of his future endeavors.

Right now, their home was a modest affair. A semi-large area had been cleared of grass, and a stone circled fireplace had been installed in the center. The ground had been flattened out to make for a more comfortable living area. This was where they stood during the day, sat during the evening, and slept during the night. While it wasn't the most comfortable of accommodations, Wendy had put her skills in weaving to good use creating straw mats that were much softer than the hard packed earth.

Despite this, there was still one major problem that had shown itself early on. The campsite had no protection from the rain. Each time the heavens opened up their floodgates, the four survivors, now with an added companion, would be left to fend for themselves. In addition to causing Willow to go into a near-hysterical fit each time, it made it exceedingly difficult to get a fire going.

Especially at night.

A near encounter in their first week had taught Wilson just how dangerous the dark could be. Wolfgang had stepped outside the lighted area of the fire for only a few moments to retrieve his pack which had been dropped. He'd stumbled back into the safety of the campfire clutching a heavily bleeding gash on his arm.

Something was out there. And to make matters worse, it was hunting them. None of them had any idea what it was, but neither were they foolish enough to try and find out. From that point forwards, they'd all made absolutely sure to never venture into the darkness without a source of light.

Which brought him back to the initial problem. If it was raining when night approached, things got very dangerous for them. This was why Wilson had spent almost all of his free time looking at ways to improve their current living conditions.

Shelter was the first and foremost issue in his mind. They needed something to protect them from the elements, and to bunker down in should more hounds or anything else decide to try attacking them. This was something woven grass couldn't do. They'd need to gather something much stronger.

Wood. And lots of it.

This held its own problems. The forest was a long ways away, and dragging heavy logs back to their camp as a tall order even with Wolfgang's formidable strength. Not to mention how difficult it would be to chop the trees down in the first place. Makeshift axes crafted from sticks and sharp rocks could fell the smaller ones, but it would be impractical for them to bring down a fully grown tree.

Still, they had to start somewhere. Sooner or later the group would need to venture back to the forest in order to gather the necessary resources. Regardless of how much Willow hated the place it was the only source of harvestable wood that they knew of.

In addition to the shelter, there was one other thing Wilson knew he needed to create. His workshop.

Though nobody said it out loud, they all knew they couldn't simply stay here forever. Everyone wanted to get home and there was only one man who could send them back.

Maxwell.

The scientist needed a dedicated work-space where he could spend his time to finding out more about their sinister host. He knew that if he devoted enough effort to the problem, he'd be able to crack whatever mysterious forces were at work. He'd already had several ideas for projects to work on, but currently lacked the resources and time to try completing them.

Shaking his head, Wilson decided to put those ideas into the back of his mind for the moment. It had been a very strange day and from the looks of things, nothing else was going to be done before night fell.

"-at least a dozen bat-like creatures burst from the ground." Wendy's words brought him out of his thoughts and back to the present. She was detailing an encounter she'd had while Abigail sat (and he used the word loosely) next to her. "They were wicked things, trying to bite me and emitting a horrid screeching call."

Both Willow and Wolfgang were listening in rapt attention, nobody seeming to notice that Wilson had been missing most of the story.

"Abigail swooped in like a bird of prey." She said, waving a stick in a downward pattern to demonstrate her point. "I took cover behind a nearby tree, and watched the fight unfold. Had I not dropped my ax earlier I would have helped her, but as it was the only thing I could do was stay back."

"What then?" Wolfgang questioned, looking for all the world like an eager child being read a bedtime story.

"It was difficult to see past the wall of wings and fur, but with each passing moment another of the beasts fell from the sky." Wendy detailed. While her enlarged vocabulary seemed strange in the mouth of a child, it certainly worked well for telling stories.

"Before too long the remaining bats either fled or came crashing down. Sadly, Abigail didn't make it out unscathed." At this the girl raised her arm in a sort of half-hug gesture, placing the limb as close to her ghostly sister as possible without actually touching her. "Her form was fading quickly, disappearing long before I reached her. I'd never been more frightened in my life. Thankfully, when I reached her fallen flower I could still feel her presence and knew she would be able to return."

"That's sweet." Willow said, a small smile on her face. "In a really creepy way. Do you know if there's a limit to how many times she can do that, or is it just a matter of waiting long enough for her to come back?"

It was fairly clear what she was getting at. If Abigail was even half as combat ready as her sister's stories claimed, she would no doubt be doing a lot of fighting on their behalf.

"I don't think there is a limit…" Wendy said, turning her head to the side in a rare display of being unsure. "She's only disappeared once before, but it took a long time for her to come back. Did it feel like you could get stuck on the other side?" She asked, turning to Abigail.

The phantom shrugged, causing her entire form to ripple like a pond in the breeze.

"It shouldn't be a problem." Wilson said, adding his input for the first time since they sat down to eat. "The best way to win a fight is by avoiding it in the first place. We're not going to be going around looking for trouble so we'll never have to find out how many times she can come back."

"That's a good point." Willow said, nodding her agreement. "Besides, between her and Wolfgang I doubt any monsters will be stupid enough to get in our way."

The strongman struck his fist forwards at the mention of his name, apparently having overcome his earlier fear of the ghost.

"I will fight them!" He declared. "I will protect little people! I am the mightiest!"

Wilson couldn't help but chuckle a bit when comparing his current attitude to the earlier fear. He was no doubt a very powerful, if somewhat unreliable, asset to their group.

Leaning back, the scientist finished off his meal.

* * *

That night, as Wilson took his shift to look after the fire he started making a few mental plans for how they could go about gathering enough lumber to build with. It wouldn't be easy, but few things in this world were. He would conquer this challenge in the same way he did all the others. With science.

Already the gears of his mind were turning, creating and discarding idea after idea. A cart would take too much time to build, and wouldn't have the carrying capacity they needed. Hauling the logs by hand was out of the question. There was no river flowing past their campsite, so they couldn't float them down.

He cast a contemplative gaze over at Abigail's indistinct form. She didn't need to sleep so instead she had taken it upon herself to patrol the borders of their camp. It was a surprisingly comforting notion to know they had a sentry now.

Perhaps she could help with the logs as well. A ghost wouldn't be limited by things like hunger or fatigue so she would be ideal for such a strenuous task. The only problem was that she was also unable to interact with the physical world outside of draining the life forces of living objects, something Wendy had demonstrated with a handful of flower petals. Not Abigail's flower of course. Just a few wildflowers that happened to be growing nearby.

Still, if she could be harmed by bat creatures it meant that she had at least some corporeal presence. If he could find a way to harness that in such a way that it allowed her to aid them, he had no doubt that she'd be an incredible benefit.

With a steady stream of thoughts and plans buzzing through his mind, Wilson let his eyes settle in the middle of the fire. One way or another, he'd figure this out.

It was just a matter of time.


	7. In the land of the pigs

**Disclaimer: I don't own Don't Starve or any of the characters**

* * *

"That should about do it." Wilson remarked, putting the finishing touches on the final ax. The group had spent the better part of a day working on creating the tools they'd need for their venture back into the forest.

"Great." Willow replied, with only a hint of sarcasm. She wasn't very happy to be going back. "So do you have any idea how we're supposed to get these things back? Or are we just going to be dragging them one at a time?"

It was one of the first protests she'd brought up when he suggested going to harvest lumber and he still didn't have a satisfactory response. Thankfully, what he did have was a source of motivation.

"Still working on that." He said. "But think of it this way, all that lumber can be used to make one heck of a campfire don't you think? Not all of it is going towards building."

With a few grumbles she consented. The fire starter couldn't deny that she was looking forward to getting a real bonfire going. Twigs and grass could burn, but they didn't have the same kind of majestic power that came from full sized logs.

"Everyone ready?" Wilson called, doing one final check over the camp to ensure that nothing of vital importance had been forgotten. "We're going to be gone for at least a couple of days, so be sure to bring everything you think you'll need."

"I am ready!" Wolfgang replied immediately, hoisting up Wendy's ax like some kind of sword. Since he would no doubt be doing the most cutting, he was the one who got to use the highest quality tool. The rest of them would make do with Wilson's hand crafted ones. "Show me trees! I will make many pinecone orphans!"

His enthusiasm could be somewhat unnerving at times.

"Everything is prepared." Wendy added, hoisting her pack onto her back. Her ghostly sister hovered nearby. "I have enough food rations to keep us going for at least one day, though it can last longer if we spread it out."

"Good to hear." Wilson said. "Willow? Do you have all your stuff together?"

The young woman let out a small sigh, looking back longingly at the fire pit. Even if it was just for a couple days, she would miss the area that had been dedicated to her favored craft.

"I've got everything." She said, falling in beside him. "Let's get going before I change my mind."

With a nod of confirmation, Wilson took the first steps on the journey to improve their living conditions.

* * *

Nobody spoke. Nobody dared to. The journey to the forest's edge had taken a little over two and a half hours, but once they arrived one thing became painfully clear.

It was not the same as it had been when they left.

"Well…" Wilson said, timidly breaking the silence that held them. "That complicates things."

The trees, no, the _entire forest_ was all but smothered in sticky webbing. The white substance clung to every surface like the desiccated fingers of a thousand corpses, making the formerly imposing pines look downright hostile.

It wasn't the first time they'd encountered spiders before. Willow had already shown a specialty for getting rid of the arachnid infestations by lighting their monstrous homes with her lighter. What made this particular instance intimidating was not the presence of spiders, but the fact that there were so many dead ones lying around.

Chitinous black bodies with legs splayed in all directions were scattered all around the forest's edge. Their bodies had cracked as though struck by some great force. As if that wasn't bad enough, many looked partially eaten.

"All right, I vote we burn the whole place down and let it sort itself out." Willow said, cringing at the sight of the piles of dead spiders. "I am _not _getting bug guts all over my cloths."

"They're arachnids, not bugs." Wilson corrected. "And we can't just light the forest on fire. We need that wood if we're going to be doing any kind of building."

She just rolled her eyes.

"I don't care if they're bugs, arachnids, or the children of Cthulhu. They're ugly, smelly, and covered in disgusting hairs. Not to mention bad tempered. Fire is the only way to get rid of them."

"You shouldn't take the name of an Elder God in vain." Wendy cautioned. "They can be quite vengeful."

The others gave her a slightly disturbed glance.

"How do you even know who… you know what? Never mind. I don't want to know." Wilson said, rubbing his forehead. "Spiders or no, we still need that lumber. This means we need to go deeper into the forest to find trees that aren't covered in spider silk."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You want us to go _deeper _into the bug infested forest?" Willow demanded, not at all happy about the situation. "Aren't you supposed to be the one looking for logical solutions or something?"

"This is the logical solution." He countered. "We can't harvest any of the trees if they're being held in place by those threads. Spider silk is incredibly strong, and we don't have anything sharp enough to cut them."

"I-I-I do n-not like plan." Wolfgang protested. "S-Spiders are scary bugs."

"_They're arachnids, not bugs!_" Wilson hissed in frustration. "Look, we don't have much of a choice in the matter. We need wood. The spiders are in the way. We have to go through them. We've done it before, and this time we have an added source of defense." At this he gestured towards Abigail's glowing form.

"She can handle plenty of spiders, can't she Wendy?" He asked.

The girl nodded.

"Spiders and bees are her specialty." She assured. "She can clear out however many nests we run across without any issues." Her words were backed up by an echoing whisper from her sister.

"That's great and all, but you're missing one major issue here." Willow pointed out. "These spiders are dead. That means that there's something out there in the forest that is nasty enough to be killing them. Doesn't that sound like a bit of an issue to you?"

Wilson sighed.

"All right, you have a point." He conceded. "But that doesn't change the fact that we have a need for those supplies, as well as a means to defend ourselves. We have to take a risk sooner or later so I still say this is our best option."

The young woman looked as though she was going to debate the point with him for a moment, but after a silent battle of wills she gave in. They needed shelter. Badly. This was their only option to get the items they needed.

"Fine." She said, relenting. "But if we die in there, I'm going to find a way to bring you back to life so that I can kill you again myself."

He felt the edges of his mouth twitch upwards at that.

"I'll take the lead." He said. "Willow, you stay behind me and keep your lighter out for a light source. It looks like it will get pretty dark in there. Wendy, you stay behind her and Wolfgang can bring up the rear. As for Abigail…" He cast a speculative glance at her. "Would you be able to stay above us and keep a look out for possible threats?"

As an answer, the ghost began drifting upwards. She began hovering near the treetops, gently floating in circles as she waited for them to proceed.

"All right." Wilson said. "Let's get going."

* * *

Wolfgang didn't like this. Not one bit. When it came to fighting and feats of strength, he was second to none. Sadly, his courage didn't reflect his mighty ability. He was afraid of the dark. He was afraid of monsters, and spiders, and ghosts, and… well… a lot of things actually. That was why his senses were strained to the limit when they entered the ominous forest.

He started taking deep breaths in a breathing exercise he'd learned long ago. It helped to steady his nerves somewhat, but no amount of relaxation therapy could force back the feeling of foreboding that poured out of every inch of the shadowy trees.

Hoping to draw strength from the confidence of his companions, he chose to focus on them instead of his surroundings.

Wilson was nervous, though he did a good job of hiding it. The only indication of his worry was the way he would jump ever so slightly at the sounds of the darkness around them. Wolfgang might not be the brightest of men, but he could recognize body language. The signs he saw did little to help his current mood.

Willow was much more open about her displeasure. She cast suspicious glances at every shifting shadow that lurked in the edges of their vision. Despite this, she didn't look afraid. Tense certainly, but not scared. That was a bit reassuring. He trusted her judgment more than the other man's. Wilson talked far too much about his 'science' for the strong man's tastes.

Wendy, as ever, seemed entirely unbothered by the disturbing surroundings. It was funny in a way. The smallest and least powerful member of their group was also the one who showed the least fear. Of course, that might be because of her terrifying friend.

Casting a timid glance upwards, Wolfgang caught sight of Abigail's figure flickering in and out of sight as she passed through the leafy canopy. He didn't know what to make of the ghost. She didn't seem overly hostile, but just being around her made him feel terrified. It wasn't as bad as it had been when she first arrived, that was for sure, but that didn't change the fact that she was a ghost. One of the many things that he certainly didn't like being around.

Suddenly, Wolfgang ground to a halt as a strange scent filled his nose. It was something he hadn't experienced since he'd been brought to this world.

"I smell piggy!" He shouted, turning is gaze from side to side as the others jumped at the sudden noise.

"You _what_?" Wilson asked. Before he could get an answer, the undergrowth started to shake. The group was immediately on the defensive, bringing their tools into position as improvised weapons. It was hard to tell who was the most shocked when the source of the disturbance was revealed.

"Oh…"

The figure froze, its face wearing a comically uncomprehending expression as it came into contact with the group. It was a pig. Mostly. The creature was roughly human sized as far as height was concerned, but in terms of girth only Wolfgang himself could hope to compete with it. Its meaty arms looked almost like pink miniature tree trunks, extending down into incredibly unfitting cloven hooves. As if this sheer defiance of all things sane and right in the world wasn't enough, its lower body was covered in a primitive straw loincloth. How a creature without fingers managed to create such a thing was anyone's guess.

For a second, the pig-man and the survivors stood stock still. Willow was the one to eventually break the moment.

"Kill it! Kill it with fire!"

The beast let out an incredibly high-pitched squeal as she charged it with her lighter at the ready. Despite having a body shape that was incredibly impractical for bipedal movement, it took off into the forest at an incredible speed, easily outpacing them.

"Willow! Stop for a minute! We don't know what it is! It might be friendly!" Wilson shouted, trying to reason with her as they sprinted through the stinging branches. She was far too out of breath to respond.

Soon enough, Wilson, Willow, and Wendy reached the limit of their endurance. Unable to keep up with the pig creature, they had to come to a halt. Wolfgang was so focused on reaching his target that he didn't even notice.

"Pig cannot run from me!" He yelled into the back of its retreating form. "There will be much bacon for eating tonight!" It was nice to be the one doing the chasing for once. Spiders were usually much more aggressive.

The bulky swine burst through the tree line, all but exploding into a clearing in a wave of destroyed ferns and tree parts. Seeing his chance, Wolfgang put his dash into overdrive. With a mighty rush of speed he charged forward and slammed into the pig-man's retreating form.

The strong man let out a roar of triumph as he brought the beast crashing to the ground. Unbeknownst to him, it wasn't about to go down without a fight. The pig hit the floor rolling, using its massive bulk to throw him forward and away from it.

He went sailing on what was likely one of the shortest flights in history. It ended with him smashing his face into a large clump of dirt that was sticking up at a rather inopportune location.

"Man is bad!" The pig squealed, speaking such broken English that it made Wolfgang look articulate. "Me make smash now!"

"Piggy want to fight?" He challenged back, feeling more confident than he had in a while. Spitting out a clod of mud from between his teeth, he turned to face it once more. "I am mightier! I will turn pig to paste!"

It was then that he noticed the snuffling sounds coming from all around him. With a sudden feeling of uncertainty, he took a look around at his surroundings. The clearing was filled with ramshackle houses that looked like they'd been built by carpenters who were either missing a few limbs, or heavily inebriated.

And for each house there was a rather large pig-man.

"Uh oh…"

The noises of snorting and animalistic grunts turned hostile as the pig villagers laid eyes on their unwelcome visitor. The strong man decided that now might be a good time to leave. Mighty though he was, Wolfgang was still only one man.

Unfortunately, the pigs had other ideas. He'd only managed to take a couple of steps before a wall of angry oinking muscle closed in on him from all sides. An exceptionally bulky pig managed to latch onto his arm so that he couldn't bring his ax around to strike them with. Wolfgang lashed out with feet, fists, and head-butts, but his strength was quickly overcome by sheer weight of numbers.

The last thing he was aware of was the sight of a fist-like hoof flying directly for his face before the impact sent him spiraling into darkness.

* * *

"Wolfgang! Where are you!?" Wilson shouted, wearily plodding on at the head of their group. Above them, Abigail weaved in and out of the trees in search of the man. Despite his best efforts, he got no response.

"At least the trail is easy enough to follow." Willow remarked, gesturing towards the newly-made pathway of broken shrubs. "It looks like a train went through this place."

The scientist shook his head in irritation.

"Why did you have to go and attack it like that?" He demanded, sparing her a very annoyed look. "For all we know, it could have been some kind of sentient species!"

"Oh don't give me that." She replied, rolling her eyes. "It was a freakish pig monster, not an alien. Did you get a good look at it? The thing certainly didn't seem intelligent looking to me."

"Beauty is only skin deep." Wendy commented. "Ugly runs straight to the core."

Wilson groaned, holding the sides of his head.

"I don't know what that's supposed to mean, but I _really _don't need this right now." He grumbled. "Next time we meet some strange new living being, let me do the talking. I'd prefer if we didn't have to go chasing down stray group members from now on."

Suddenly, Abigail came shooting down towards their position. Their attention immediately locked onto the ghost as she began making her spectral whispers.

"What is she saying?" Willow asked, turning towards Wendy. "Did she find him?"

The bereaved girl frowned, but nodded.

"I think she's saying that Wolfgang is near." She said. "But there's a problem. I'm not entirely sure what, but we should be prepared for a confrontation when we get closer."

With an air of grim determination, they got their weapons of choice ready. Willow and Wendy sported axes, while Wilson pulled out his trusty knife. It wasn't the most impressive weapon but it was far better made then the sharpened rock on a stick that constituted his other cutting tool.

"Lead on." He ordered, following Abigail's lead.

The procession continued forward until the trees started thinning out into a large clearing. It was several time the size of the one that Wilson had met his current companions in, and it was dominated by all manner of incredibly rustic log cabins. Or at least, the impressions of log cabins. If nothing else, they were the proper shape.

This wasn't what caught his eye.

In the center of it all, tied to some kind of obelisk, was Wolfgang. And behind him…

There were many things that could have been said in a moment like that. He could have made an ominous remark about the sheer volume of the figures facing them. He could have made a rallying call to arms, heartening the group for their rescue attempt. He could have even thought of several humorous comments to make about the figure. Unfortunately, Wilson wasn't feeling very poetic at the moment. All he could think to say was…

"That is one fat pig."


	8. Spirits of the forest

**This update brought to you by caffeine, because sleep is for the weak. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Don't Starve or any of the characters.**

* * *

"That's… Different…" Willow thought out loud, her eyes going back and forth between the gathering of hominid-like pig creatures and the log houses they had constructed. The very _flammable _log houses. Wilson caught her arm to prevent her from doing anything too hasty.

"Hold on a moment." He pleaded. "I think this might be one of the rare cases in which burning things won't help." At the scandalized look he continued. "They're smart enough to build homes right? Maybe that means we can reason with them. I'd prefer to avoid turning this place into a massive pyre if at all possible."

The only thing worse than dealing with enraged pig-men, was dealing with enraged pig-men who were on fire.

With only a couple of grumbles, she nodded. It was more likely that she was worried about what they would do to Wolfgang if she went full psycho, but he appreciated the cooperation none the less.

Wendy silently beckoned for Abigail to stay close to the group. The ghost hovered near her living sibling, sending a chilling glare at any pig-villager that stared for too long.

The air was tense, but Wilson put on a brave face and stepped forwards. Keeping his eyes straight ahead, he made his way over to the largest of the pigs. A king of sorts if the crown on his head was to be believed. It was a gargantuan specimen that must have weight a literal ton as opposed to the ever so overused metaphorical version.

He spared a worried glance over at the strongman's form. Wolfgang hung limp from his position on the obelisk, but his chest still rose and fell in a regular pattern. He was alive. Right now, that was the important thing. Now all Wilson had to do was get him out of here.

"Hello there!" The scientist greeted in as friendly a manner as was possible when one was looking over a crowed of possibly homicidal beast-men. "I see that you've met one of my friends there. Listen, I think we've had a bit of a misunderstanding. You see, we're not all that used to coming across others who are quite as… _unique_ as yourselves and a couple of us may have jumped the gun a bit. Why don't we start over? My name is Wilson P. Higgsbury. Who might you be?"

The pig-king eyed him with a casual laziness that only came from those blessed with infinite power and total ignorance. Other than a few snorts, he gave no indication that he understood, or even heard, the gentleman's introduction.

"Um… hello?" Wilson ventured, still getting no reaction. "Do you get what I'm saying? Would you mind letting my friend down please?"

"Little man not bother king!" One of the larger pigs growled, stepping forward imposingly. His advance was met with an echoing threat from Abigail that made him stop, but not back down. "King have better things to do than talk with you!"

It was times like this that the scientist was glad he knew how to handle rude people. Losing his temper while surrounded could only end badly.

"My apologies." He replied with forced sincerity, not bothering to ask what 'better things' the king was actually capable of doing. He certainly didn't seem to be able to move from that spot with his considerable weight.

"I didn't mean to impose on your hospitality. I really just want to collect my companion. If you would be so kind as to let him down, we'll be on our way and I promise that we won't be bothering you again."

It was funny the way the pig's face scrunched up when he listened to Wilson speak, almost like he'd bitten into a very sour lemon.

"Man not go free." The spokespig declared, jabbing his arm… hoof… thing… forward for emphasis. "He try smash Twinkie! We make him offering to protect village."

"_Twinkie?_ One of them is named _Twinkie?_" Willow exclaimed, her opinion of the creatures dropping at breakneck speed. "Can we please just get to the burning part? We all know how this will end."

"I'm inclined to agree." Wendy added. "We could use the pork rations back home. Only eating rabbit tends to get dull after a while."

"Now wait just a minute!" Wilson interjected, holding up his hands in an attempt to avert the looming catastrophe. "Why do you need an offering? I know the forest can be a bit dangerous, but nothing could threaten a community of this size surely?"

At this the pigs lost a bit of their savagery. Some looked nervously over their shoulders while the majority took a couple of timid steps backwards. The spokespig was the only one who was able to keep his nerve.

"Need offering to keep angry trees away." He explained, his eyes holding a tinge of fear behind the mask of bravado. "We smash trees, make homes. Forest get angry. Need offering to make happy again."

Wilson listened attentively, his mind already thinking how to turn this news to his advantage. It was clear that the pigs were stricken by some superstitious fear of the forest. After all, trees couldn't hurt you. Unless they fell on you of course. Then they could hurt quite a bit.

Regardless, this bad situation could be turned around with the right amount of verbal finesse.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry to hear that." He said, bowing his head slightly. "But I think you may be in luck. You see, we happen to be expert tree killers. If you let our friend go, I think we might be able to get rid of your problem for you."

The crowed began murmuring among themselves. From the expressions on their faces, they were both suspicious of his offer and hopeful of its truthfulness. Some seemed almost in awe that he had even suggested such a thing. They must have been very afraid of the trees if offering to get rid of them caused this kind of a reaction.

"You can kill bad trees?" The spokespig asked hesitantly. His posture was now significantly less threatening than it had been before. "Make so we no need offerings no more?"

"Yes Wilson, why don't you tell _all _of us exactly what you're getting at?" Willow suggested, narrowing her eyes. She knew that he was volunteering them for something big, and it didn't sit well with her.

"Of course we can." He assured, giving the fire starter a glance that pleaded with her to just play along. They could discuss the finer points of his actions later. "We happen to be very good at getting rid of trees. You see her? Her name is Willow, and she can conjure fire on demand. Now what tree can stand up to something like that?"

With a roll of her eyes, the young woman pulled out her lighter and flicked the switch. A startled gasp emanated from a couple dozen throats as the crowed eyed the newly born flame with mixed interest and apprehension.

The pigs started whispering amongst themselves, or at least he assumed they were. Their voices were quieter but still plenty loud enough for him to hear. It was only when the spokespig began stamping his feet down impatiently and smacking a few of them on the head that they managed to regain some semblance of order.

"Trees make life bad for us." The pink creature stated. "Ugly man try smash us too, but if you kill angry trees we let him go. You be friends then."

"I'm not sure I want to be friends with them…" Willow remarked. Thankfully it was too quiet for any of the pigs to hear.

"Tell you what." Wilson said, deciding to push his luck a bit now that he had them where he wanted them. "Once we deal with those trees of yours, we'll even get rid of them. We have a bit of a building project coming up and we could use the extra lumber. If you would be so kind as to help us move the logs, we'll make sure you don't ever have to look at those nasty things again."

He could practically see the one working gear in the spokespig's head turning slowly while he tried to decide if this was actually a good deal or not.

"That lot of work." He said. Apparently he was a bit smarter than they had given him credit for. "What in it for us? We just smash pieces if we no want see them anymore."

"Well…" The scientist began, searching his mind for some kind of source of motivation. What did giant pink tribesmen want? They had shelter. They didn't seem all that interested in clothing or jewelry. That only left…

"How about some rabbit stew?" Willow offered, deciding to follow Wilson's plan. "We've got a lot of rabbits near our camp, so there should be enough for everyone. It would run our supplies dry but we don't have much of an alternative."

"You give food?" The spokespig questioned, immediately perking up. The sudden eagerness spread like wildfire through the crowd. Soon, each one of them was looking hopefully towards the humans and pressing forwards, earning a couple warning noises from Abigail.

Of course. Food. What an obvious solution. He knew that ordinary pigs were renowned for their willingness to eat just about anything. Why would pig-men be any different?

"Absolutely." He stated with confidence. "Point us at the trees and help us get the logs back home and we'll make sure you eat as many rabbits as you can stomach."

Thankfully their experience with Wolfgang meant that they had taken to storing far more food than they needed themselves. The man ate like there was no tomorrow, and he was willing to bet that the pigs did too.

The assorted pig creatures let out a mighty cheer at those words. Their jumping and excitement roused Wolfgang from his forced slumber.

"Ugh… What… Who…" After several dazed moments, he noticed Wilson and the others.

"Friends!" He shouted. "Help! I am stolen!"

"It's all right big guy." Wilson assured, gesturing towards the pigs that were now treating him like a conquering hero. "We've got everything taken care of. Just give us a second to get you down and I'll fill you in on what's been going on."

* * *

Willow checked the edge of her ax for what felt like the hundredth time. She had to admit that this plan, despite having come entirely out of nowhere, seemed almost too good to be true. Cut down a few trees and get the pigs to carry them home? It was like having their own personal servants. Very smelly servants…

Still, no matter how good it looked she couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen.

"How much farther until we reach the trees?" She asked. The pig that had spoken to them earlier turned to answer, not even noticing as he plowed through assorted branches.

"Trees close now. Can feel their badness. Not far."

Despite the almost unintelligible form of his response, she was inclined to agree. These trees felt different somehow. Almost as though they were watching the tiny little meatlings that dared to trespass in their home.

She wasn't the only one who noticed either. While Wolfgang and Wilson strode on confidently, apparently oblivious to the ominous presence, Wendy was getting a bit edgy. The girl's eyes would shoot to the side at the slightest noise. Willow didn't know what she saw when she did that, but from the growing frown on her face it probably wasn't good. In response to her mood, Abigail hovered protectively near her.

"You feel it too?" The fire starter questioned softly. She nodded.

"The forest is old here." She spoke, taking on the old monotone that she had possessed during the early days after they'd found her. "It is not pleased with our intrusions. I don't think bringing these trees down will be any simple task."

Willow was inclined to agree.

"Well, at least we have one advantage." She said. Wendy gave her a questioning glance, to which she flicked open her lighter. "Trees burn."

"That they do." The child said, with a conspiratorial smile.

"Up here!" The pig announced suddenly, coming to an immediate halt. "You go in there. Kill bad trees. If you not get dead we help bring trees for houses. I go back now."

"You're not coming with us?" Willow asked. She wasn't happy about being left without someone who knew the woods. Sure Abigail could lead them out eventually, but she still had flashbacks to being lost in here again.

He vehemently shook his head.

"I no go in there!" He exclaimed. "I not stupid! You want get smash you go. I go back."

Without any further words of encouragement, he promptly turned around and began running back to the pig-village. The survivors watched him go with varying levels of interest.

"Bye bye piggy!" Wolfgang shouted, waving at his retreating form.

Wilson rolled his shoulders once, gesturing for the others to follow him.

"Come on." He said. "Let's get chopping. Those trees aren't going to dispose of themselves. And the sooner we get this job done the sooner we can go home."

They all grouped together and pushed into the area that had disturbed their guide so much. The change was immediate. Not even the two males could ignore the sheer hostility that practically oozed out of every inch of the forest now. This was not somewhere that they were welcome.

The trees held bark that was so dark it was almost obsidian in color. The branches reached out towards them with jagged edges, as though intent on tearing at whatever they could get a hold of. The pine needles more resembled tiny razors than actual leaves.

To make things even worse, the giant pines seemed to lean in on them giving the tiny humans a feeling of paranoid claustrophobia.

"I have second thoughts about plan…" Wolfgang said, losing some of his confidence. "This place seem bad."

"We can't turn back just because things look a bit… uh… sinister." Wilson offered, looking none too sure of himself. "Just remember, we are smarter than the trees. They can't hurt us if we approach this intelligently."

A small hand reached up to tug on his sleeve, causing him to jump in surprise. He suppressed a shout when he realized it was only Wendy.

"Oh, sorry about that." He said, chuckling nervously. "You scared me a bit." She didn't laugh. In fact, she looked somewhat worried.

"We need to leave."

The scientist was taken aback by her sudden desire to flee. She'd shown no signs of being distressed earlier, so he hadn't the slightest idea why she would suddenly feel the need to do so now.

"Now don't worry." He ventured, trying to calm her down. "These are just trees. We've dealt with worse right? I mean, what about those hounds? They were scarier than some cheesy pine trees weren't they? And we got rid of them without too much trouble."

She looked like she wanted to say something, but any reply she might have made was cut off when a rumbling sound filled the air. The ground beneath their feet suddenly shook violently, forcing them to the ground.

"What is that!?" Willow exclaimed. "Is it an earthquake!?"

"No…" Wendy's reply was so quiet that it was almost lost in the thundering noise, but they didn't need to hear it. Her gaze said enough. Following her eyes, they all came face to face with something that was straight out of a nightmare.

Wilson's mouth dropped open as Wolfgang let out a horrified wail. The earth wasn't shaking. It was being split open. The fractures all coalesced around the base of a single, massive pine that was twisting in the ground as though trying to wrench itself free.

In fact, that was exactly what it was trying to do.

"Get back." Nobody seemed to hear Willow's warning. They were all too struck by the image of a snarling face splitting open the bark and glaring down at them.

"_GET BACK!_" They heard her that time. The group barely managed to dash out of the way as a massive, woody, talon scythed through the air where they had been standing only a moment ago. Wilson, Willow, Wolfgang, Wendy, and Abigail all began running for their lives as fast as they could go.

Behind them, a titanic roar signaled that the tree monster was giving chase.


	9. Set the world on fire

**First off, sorry for the delay. Normally this would have been uploaded last week but things have been pretty busy around here. Hopefully this won't be an issue in the future, but I may need to take a break every now an then. Anyway, on with the show.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Don't Starve or any of the characters **

* * *

The forest was coming alive. It was like every horror story Wilson had ever heard while sitting in the dark around a campfire. Every way he turned revealed another of those terrifying things pulling themselves free from the ground. Some were massive, towering above the puny humans like a wooden building. Others were small, only slightly larger than he was. Despite this, they all had one thing in common.

They were all very, _very_, angry. Murderous glares adorned each of their faces. The image of their unnatural bodies was so grotesque that Wilson felt as though the edges of his sanity were being pulled apart just by laying eyes on them. No… not just felt like. The more he looked, the greater the pain in his head built up. Their unnatural forms ripped at the corners of his mind, finding purchase and seeking to drag him down into the depths of-

"_Get down!_"

Before the scientist had time to process the meaning of the words, Willow slammed into his side sending the two of them crashing to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, Wilson caught sight of the wickedly curved claw that had lashed out in an attempt to cleave him in half. There was no time to thank her for saving his life. The moment they regained their footing, they immediately had to start running again. The pressure that had been building up in his skull slowly dissipated now that he was no longer entranced by its source.

"Follow me, quickly!" Wendy shouted, dashing for a pair of the massive beasts. Her plan quickly became apparent. At her gesture Abigail shot through the canopy like a spectral bird of prey, assaulting the two wooden behemoths. Both were forced to step back, trying to gain the room they needed to attack their assailant.

Wilson dashed after the girl knowing full well that her sister's distraction wouldn't last long. Willow and Wolfgang followed behind him as fast as their legs would carry them. They didn't get far before another emerging tree monster forced them to take a hard right, sending them back towards the original grove.

"Any bright ideas?" Willow called from behind him. A frantic note had entered her voice.

"Uh." In all honesty, he was still struggling to come to terms with the fact that _living trees _were crawling out of the ground. "Just keep running!" It wasn't his greatest plan, but it was the only thing he could think of right now.

Wendy was starting to slow. Having both shorter legs and less endurance than the others, she felt the effects of fatigue before any of the others. It came as a surprise to everyone, none the least herself, when Wolfgang stepped in to take the initiative.

"Little girl is not run fast enough!" He said, scooping her up with one of his massive arms. The strongman didn't even break his stride as he carried the new, and very indignant, burden.

Abigail darted back and forth, doing everything she could to stave off the tide of horrors that were closing in on them. Each time she made contact with one of them a cascade of dead branches and pine needles would fall to the ground, followed by a booming wail as the life force was drained out of them. Even so, she couldn't be everywhere at once and the trees were starting to learn that she was a threat. It was getting much more difficult for her to close in without getting swatted out of the air.

Wilson's heart leapt as he sighted what was likely their only chance.

"Over there!" He directed. "The tree line is thinning out! If we can get out in the open, they won't be able to cut us off!"

The heartening news of a possible escape route gave them the strength to put on an added burst of speed. The monsters roared in protest as their quarry pulled away, dashing towards the light. The scientist felt a rush of triumph burn through his system as he broke through the last few branches barring their way. Each nerve was alight with reinvigorated energy…

Only to turn to ice when he realized his mistake.

"Oh no…"

The trees hadn't thinned due to the forest ending. They'd thinned because there was no more room for them to grow. Wilson stared off the edge of a sheer cliff, extending at least a hundred feet straight down into the crashing waves below. All four survivors ground to a halt, only a few steps from the edge.

"Turn back! Fast!" Wilson urged, trying to make up for the error. "We need to get going before-"

Too late.

As he turned back to flee into the forest once more, he was greeted by the sight of the massive creatures blocking their escape in a semicircle formation. Abigail drifted between the creatures and their targets, trying to slow their advance with minimal success.

"We're surrounded." Wendy pointed out unnecessarily from Wolfgang's shoulder. She'd stopped struggling with her captor, too caught up in their current predicament to worry about personal space.

Wilson's mind ran through dozens of possible strategies, each one being rapidly shot down the moment it came into creation. Trying to run through a gap in their lines would only get them torn to pieces. Splitting up would do no good. The water was too far down, and much too rough for them to try swimming away. There was no way out.

Or so he thought.

When it became clear that the scientist was at a loss for what to do, Willow stepped forward. A dozen pairs of bark-crusted eyes, along with three human and one ghost's gaze, all watched in disbelief as the young woman strode towards the towering things with determination glinting in her eyes.

With a flick of her wrist, she brought the flame of her lighter into being.

"Back off." She growled, holding the flickering item forward like a sword. "Or I'll turn you all into kindling." Her expression held a hint of fear, but the arm that held her lighter didn't tremble in the slightest.

The trees halted at the sight of fire. Regardless of whether or not they could understand her words, they recognized the threat that an open flame posed to their wooden bodies. For an instant, a tense stalemate descended between the two groups. None of the creatures wanted to be the first to tempt the fire starter's wrath, and none of the humans wanted to try their luck making a break for it.

"What we do now science man?" Wolfgang asked, his eyes darting back and forth between Willow and their assailants nervously. At some point he'd either set Wendy down, or she'd wriggled free of his grasp. "Do we fight?"

Wilson couldn't turn to answer him. He was too focused on the expression that was fixed on the young woman's face.

"Willow…" He cautioned, seeing the manic light that was starting to emerge in her eyes. She was staring far too intently at the creatures for his liking.

"Come on big guys." She goaded, her voice rising in pitch ever so slightly. "Not afraid of a little _fire _are you?" Why she would possibly be taunting them at a time like this, he couldn't begin to guess.

Even if they didn't know exactly what she was saying, the challenge in her voice was obvious. The spirits of the forest were not pleased by her audacity.

"Willow, please! Think about what you're doing!" Wilson urged. With the limited amount of room they had, igniting the trees would result in them either being hacked to pieces by the enraged creatures, burned to death by their flaming bodies, or hurled off the edge of the cliff to a watery grave. It was hard to tell which outcome was the least appealing.

For her part, Willow was looking somewhat unstable. The edges of her lips twitched as though she were fighting back a rather disturbing smile. As a few of the bolder tree creatures inched closer, a manic giggle broke free from her throat. It was choked and muffled, slipping through only after having been held down for as long as was physically possible.

What had gotten into her? Wilson found that it was a question he couldn't answer. Willow didn't seem like the type of person to have a mental breakdown at the drop of a hat. It was so out of character that he… wait…

With a dawning horror, he realized that she'd been staring directly at the forest giants this entire time. Just a few moments of that had proved to be exceedingly painful for him earlier.

"Willow!" He shouted, running up to her side in order to divert her attention away from the creatures. "Listen to me! You need to look away! I don't know what those things are, but the longer- GAH!"

The scientist was forced to jump back in shock when a tiny plume of fire burst into being in front of him.

"What in the world…?"

Had it been a loose spark from her lighter? No, it couldn't be. As Wilson watched, a handful of tiny flames simply appeared on the ground forming a small circle around Willow.

"Aww, look how pretty they are." She fawned, finally tearing her gaze away from the trees. "And there's so many of them!"

She was right. Wilson, Wendy, and Wolfgang were forced to backpedal all the way to the edge of the cliff as more and more flames sprung from the ground. Even Abigail couldn't remain close to the fire starter due to the intense heat. The new arrivals quickly linked up with those already in place, creating a steadily growing bonfire that encompassed the young woman completely.

"Willow!" Wilson shouted, panic threatening to override his other senses. "Get out of there! Quickly! You need to get away from the flames!" He didn't know what was going on, but he knew she had to find a way out of the burning swath of flame that threatened to consume her.

"Willow!" His scream was all but drowned out as the writhing inferno increased in size. The scientist was helpless to do anything other than look on as the young woman's form disappeared from sight.

Not satisfied with the meager offering, the ravenous flames began spreading out and consuming everything they touched. Too late, the trees beasts realized the peril of their situation. An earsplitting wail erupted as the nearest one caught fire, wildly swinging its massive arms and stumbling around in a vain attempt to stave off the inevitable. Its companions soon found themselves in the same predicament.

One by one, the monstrous pines ignited. Their burning forms went up in the blink of an eye until they resembled walking pillars of flame. For a single breathless moment, it looked as though they would stumble back into the woods and set the entire forest on fire but something stopped them. Hearing the distant sound of waves crashing into the side of the island, something in their primitive minds registered the presence of water.

Blinded by the pain of their burning, the living trees charged towards the cliff face in desperation. Never once giving pause to think about the ramifications of jumping off.

"Move!" Wilson shouted, not that the others needed any encouragement. As the titanic creatures charged headlong towards the edge, the three humans dashed for cover to avoid being flattened by their massive limbs. The maddened procession ended just as suddenly as it began with the trees hurtling as one off the cliff and into the sea. Those who experienced a moment of clarity and hesitated were dragged along unwillingly as their less intelligent brethren forced them forward from behind.

As the last of the creatures threw itself towards the roiling waters below, the chaos of the last few minutes began to return to some semblance of normalcy. The only sound that could be heard was that of the last few crackling embers, most of the larger flames having been trampled out in the stampede.

"Wendy? Wolfgang? Are you all right?" Wilson called, hoisting himself off the ground. He was sporting several new cuts and bruises but was otherwise none the worse for his experience.

"Too close!" Came the muffled reply from the strongman. He sat up shakily, spitting a clod of dirt from his mouth as he did so. Not far from him, Wendy rose to her feet slightly dazed, her ghostly sister hovering close by.

When it became clear that none of them were hurt, Wilson turned his attention to the dying bonfire that still clung to life where the fire starter had been standing a short time ago.

"Willow…" He'd known this place was dangerous. He'd known that the odds of them surviving were slim. Even so, seeing the raven-haired girl burn right before his very eyes left a bitter weight in his gut. It was like he had swallowed a gallon of molten lead, solidifying in the core of his body. She hadn't deserved this, and he'd just sat back and watched it happen…

With guilt and sorrow pulling him down in equal measure, he edged his way closer to the flames. The rational part of his mind told him to ensure that the body was covered up before the others had a chance to see. Laying eyes on a charred corpse would only crush their already damaged morale, something they couldn't afford in this place.

As the stubborn blaze slowly burned away the remaining fuel keeping itself alive, the heat became less unbearable. Wilson was able to get closer and even make out the edges of a figure in its center.

Wait a minute. Was the figure… standing?

"Willow!"

Shock and relief poured out of his voice as the scientist laid eyes on the last sight he'd expected. In the heart of the dissipating flames, entirely unharmed, was Willow. Not so much as a single thread of her clothing had been even singed despite having been exposed to a veritable inferno.

"Willow!" He called again, rushing into the heart of the dying blaze. He didn't even care as some of the more lively lounges of flame attempted to lick the edges of his vest. In six swift paces he made his way to her side, nearly forgetting himself and crushing her in a bear hug but managing to stop at the last moment. She might still be injured and it wouldn't do to hurt her further.

"Hey." He said, trying to get her attention while grasping her shoulders in a steadying grip. "Are you all right? What happened just now? How did you manage to do that?"

His questions fell on deaf ears. Willow swayed in place unsteadily, her gaze largely unfocused. It took her several moments to even realize that he was holding onto her. When she did, a tiny giggle, thankfully less insane sounding than before, pushed its way out of her throat.

"What's so funny?" Wilson questioned with growing concern. Behind him, the others were looking on in confusion. They didn't understand what had just happened any more than he did.

"You're hair…" She replied, hardly managing to form the sentence with the suppressed mirth that she was trying to hold back. "It makes it look like your head is on fire. It's really pretty."

"W-What!?" The gentleman scientist felt himself blush as he reached up to pat the top of his head self-consciously. "My hair? I-It doesn't look like that does it? I-I mean… I don't think…"

He never got his answer as, without any semblance of warning or reason, Willow collapsed in his arms. The sudden weight threatened to topple him over, but fear of dropping her on the ground gave Wilson the motivation to stay upright.

"Ok then…" He sighed, pulling one of her arms over his shoulder to better support her limp form. "Wolfgang? Would you mind helping me here? I think this is going to make for a very interesting conversation when she wakes up."

* * *

About an hour later, the group found themselves situated in the center of the pig village. Unlike their first entrance, they were hailed like conquering heroes rather than vile marauders. More than one pig had already challenged Wolfgang to a wrestling match, a kind of good-natured competition that they all seemed to enjoy. A few of the more adventurous ones had even invented a game that involved getting as close to Abigail as possible without being horribly maimed by the annoyed spirit. So far, the record seemed to be about three arm's-lengths. None had dared to try her patience beyond that.

"Do you know how crazy you sound right now?" Willow said, holding the side of her head and grimacing. She'd woken up not long ago, and Wilson had taken it upon himself to fill her in on the details of her death-defying feat. Much to his surprise she'd woken up with no memory of the event and a splitting headache.

"I know it sounds insane, but I was there. So were you for that matter." He assured, handing over a wet rag which she gratefully accepted. Despite her normal aversion to water, the relief it provided her pounding head more than made up for its lack of combustibility.

She wrapped the soggy object around her forehead with a sigh of relief.

"How much do you remember?" He asked, trying to get an idea of how such an occurrence was possible. "You started acting strange after threatening the trees."

"That's about it." She said. "I remember pulling out my lighter and trying to scare them off. After that… things get a little fuzzy."

"Hmmm." Wilson rubbed the base of his chin thoughtfully. Now that there was no danger, he'd devoted much of his effort to thinking up explanations for her apparent immunity to the flames as well as where they had come from. He hadn't been very successful, and he wouldn't ever consider asking her to try repeating the display by stepping into a live flame. At least, not without a bucket of water nearby.

"Well, it was a very lucky accident then." He said, deciding that it would have to be a mystery to be solved on another day. "It had the fortunate side effect of saving our hides and getting rid of the giant trees that had been haunting the pigs. Which means…"

Looking over his shoulder, he observed the steadily growing pile of lumber in the heart of the village. The pig-men had jumped at the task of gathering wood as soon as it became clear that there was no longer a threat of the trees coming to life and smashing them into bacon bits.

"We're going to be getting those new buildings soon."

Willow smiled at the thought, imagining a proper shelter and giving an appreciative hum. Compared to sleeping out in the open, even a ramshackle house like the ones used by the pigs would be a blessing.

Having survived their most recent ordeal, the survivors allowed themselves to get lost in the revelries of the pig village. A massive bonfire was constructed before the pig-king, and a feast held in their honor. The celebration extended long into the night, leaving them all exhausted and worn out the following morning.

In all the merrymaking none of them knew, or truly even suspected, that a pair of eyes watched them from the shadows. Seeing all. Missing nothing. The sinister gaze followed their every move with the utmost interest.

After all, these were _his _playthings. The tools to bring his plans together.

The keys to his freedom.


End file.
